It Wasn't Meant To Be
by acceptable
Summary: That was that first time I saw her. At the time all I was thinking was how to get her to trust me, I didn’t realise that I was looking at the women who would change my life forever. The story of Cole & Phoebe's relationship from day one til the very end.
1. The Meeting Of Two Ways

This fan fic is about Cole and Phoebe looking back on their relationship. The italics are the flashbacks and the rest is in either Phoebe or Cole's point of views. Their P.O.V.'s are kinda taking place after Cole has been killed for the final time, but don't ask me how he can narrate stuff when he's dead, ok!

Please review!

Discalimer: I'm sure you can all guess what I'm gonna say here; I don't own Charmed. Obvious I know. It was on my xmas list tho, but no luck there!

* * *

**Chapter 1: The Meeting Of Two Ways**

"_Ladies. My name is Cole Turner and I'm the Assistant District Attorney assigned to this case. I was wondering if either of you saw what happened here?"_

_

* * *

_

Cole's P.O.V.

This was that first time I saw her. At the time, of course, all I was thinking was how to get the Charmed One's to trust me; I didn't realise that I was looking at the women who would change my life forever. I don't know if I felt something then; my human half was buried deep and my demon half wouldn't allow any emotions like love, so it wasn't love at first sight. I think _she_ felt something then though. Her face lit up and she raised her hand, answering my question with a smile and a perky, "I did!"

I had thought that posing as an ADA was the perfect cover for what I had to do. I had a respectable job so there was no way that I could possibly be a demon, right? And she believed that too. Trying to help the Charmed One's defeat the guardian demons was an ideal way to gain their trust. In their minds, I was just a dedicated ADA, trying to get justice.

In the court room Emilio, the criminal being protected by the guardian demon, was set free by the judge. I knew that the judge was a demon and if I gave them a little nudge in the right direction they would be able to work it out for themselves and if I pushed Emilio enough then I would be an innocent they had to save. Even more proof that I wasn't a demon.

To put my plan into motion I had to make sure that Phoebe would get a premonition of me being attacked. This worked well with my future plans as I had decided that after my first meeting with the Charmed One's that Phoebe would be the most susceptible to my charms. So I went to meet her at the college.

* * *

_Phoebe was lost in thought as she walked along a path in the college grounds. Sneaking up behind her, someone tapped her on the shoulder._

_Phoebe jumped and her instincts screamed 'attack' at her. She spun round and performed a high kick at the person behind her, "Hi-yah!" she yelled._

_Cole was standing behind her. Surprised, he automatically grabbed her leg as Phoebe's eyes widened and she exclaimed "Cole!"_

_Cole smiled, amused. "Hi, how's it going?_

"_Oh." started Phoebe self-consciously, "wow, is this embarrassing. Uh, I'm…"_

"_It's okay, I'm okay." Cole assured Phoebe. "Nice calf."_

_Phoebe gave a little laugh, still embarrassed "Oh, thanks. Um... Can I have it back?"_

"_Sure. Sure" replied Cole letting go of her leg._

_Curiosity overcame Phoebe's embarrassment as she enquired "Uh, how did you find me?"_

"_Told you I was good at what I do." grinned Cole "Although you probably wouldn't think so after my performance in court." he sighed_

"_No, I thought you were amazing. It's just you were up against a, uh, an unfair Judge." contradicted Phoebe._

"_Free Willy. He's got that reputation" agreed Cole, "Still; I know I didn't put on my best case, that's why I'm here to see if you can help me do a better job."_

"_How?" asked Phoebe._

"_I don't know, you tell me". Phoebe raised her eyebrows at Cole's statement. "Look, Phoebe, I may not be the greatest prosecutor but I've got good instincts, I can sense things about people, things they might not even want me to know."_

"_And what do you sense about me?" replied Phoebe warily._

_"That you're struggling with the truth. That you're a good person who wants to do the right thing here but, for whatever reason, you can't. How am I doing so far?"_

_Phoebe laughed, nervously this time, but didn't answer. Cole sighed._

"_If you think of anything," he said sticking his card in between the pages of a book Phoebe was holding, "Please call me. Home number's on the back." Turning to walk away, he looked back over his shoulder. "Bye."_

_Watching him leave, Phoebe pulled out his card. She gasped as a premonition hit her. Images passed through her head but one stayed with her; Emilio carving an inverted triangle on Cole's forehead._

"_Oh no!" she gasped.

* * *

_

Cole's P.O.V.

After sending Phoebe the premonition I went about my job as a normal ADA would. I knew that the Charmed One's were sometimes helped out by a cop, Darryl Morris, so I went to see him, pretending to want to get his help on the case. I wasn't worried about Emilio. He couldn't kill me however hard he tried, and anyway, Phoebe and her sisters would stop him before he could do anything.

* * *

_The car park at the police station was dark and gloomy. Cole walked towards his car apparently not noticing Emilio hiding behind a pole, holding a knife. Emilio ran to another pole, taking himself nearer to Cole. Hearing footsteps Cole looked behind him. He could see nothing. With Cole's attention elsewhere, Emilio moved again until he was hiding behind a pole in front of Cole. Shrugging his shoulders Cole continued walking. As he walked past the pole, Emilio jumped out and aimed the hilt of the knife at Cole's head. Cole fell to the ground unmoving. _

_At that moment, Prue and Phoebe arrived in the car and drove straight towards Emilio. Swinging round at the sound of the car, Emilio jumped out of the way and moved away from Cole, his face drawn in a snarl. Getting out of the car Phoebe ran over to Emilio preparing to fight him. Emilio lashed out with the knife, trying to stab her. Phoebe jumped up to avoid the attack and found herself flying straight up into the air._

"_Whoa!" she shrieked, shocked. _

_Just as amazed as Phoebe, Prue stood staring at her for a moment before realising that Emilio was advancing on them, knife in hand. She lashed out her hand sending Emilio flying back to land on a car. _

_Phoebe fell back onto the ground. "An active power!" she exclaimed happily. Then seeing the guardian rising out of Emilio, she continued, "not that active. Prue!"_

"_Hey, catch." smirked Prue as she used her power to send the knife flying straight into the Guardian's rune, in the centre of its forehead. The Guardian exploded in a ball of flame and Phoebe hurriedly ran over to Cole._

"_Cole! Cole!" she called._

_Cole sat up slowly, his eyes flickering open. "Phoebe?" he groaned" What are you doing here? What happened?"_

_

* * *

_

Cole's P.O.V.

Of course Phoebe didn't tell me what had really happened. Her and Prue modified the events so no mention of the guardian demon or their witchcraft appeared. This meant I would be bringing Emilio to court again, with the same judge, the demon. My plan was working.

* * *

"_Why would the defendant attack me if he was innocent of the prior charges?" Cole demanded of the defence lawyer, Alan._

"_There's no proof he's the one responsible for the attack." countered Alan._

_In the background Prue whispered to Piper, "Now"_

"_Then what was he doing in the police parking lot? And why did myself and two eye witnesses..."_

_Alan interrupted Cole, "You mean the same two eye witnesses that were here before?"_

"_Piper..." hissed Phoebe_

"_Alright.!" muttered Piper._

"_And what were they doing there?" continued Alan. Piper tried to freeze the room but nothing happened. "I mean, how is it that they just magically are at every crime scene?"_

"_Try it again." whispered Prue_

"_I am trying." muttered Piper angrily._

_Cole outstretched his hand to make his point. "Objection, your hon-"_

_Piper froze the room but only Cole, Leo and Darryl froze._

"_It worked!" Phoebe said.

* * *

Cole's P.O.V._

Actually it didn't work. Well, technically it did, just not on me. Only Leo and Darryl really froze. I was just pretending to be frozen, as I should be if I was just a normal human. I tried to see as much of the fighting as I could, but without moving I could see very little. The sisters came into my view after all the guardian demons lay unconscious.

* * *

"_Okay, nicely done." Prue came over to meet Phoebe and Piper._

"_You too." nodded Phoebe_

"_Wait a minute, if they're demons where are they're powers?" asked Piper, puzzled._

_The sister's turned to see the judge stride into the chambers. "Come to me." he called._

_The guardians rose out of the people and followed the judge into the chambers._

"_They're not demons," realised Prue, "they're just protected by them. Come on!" They ran after the guardians._

_In the courtroom, Cole lowered his arm and turned to look briefly at Leo and Darryl. They were still frozen. Cole straightened his jacket and shimmered out._

_He shimmered back in the judges chamber's just as the judge entered._

"_What the hell?" the judge exclaimed._

"_Thanks, I'll take it from here." Cole smirked, flicking his hand at the judge. The judge was engulfed in flames and Cole shimmered back into the courtroom just before the sister's entered the chambers. Prue, Piper and Phoebe walked into the chambers in time to see the judge vanquished._

"_Okay, how did that happen?" asked Piper._

"_Good question, but we're not alone." pointed out Prue._

"_We'd better get back before Cole unfreezes." agreed Phoebe._

_They walked back to the courtroom and saw Cole, Leo and Darryl just as they had left them, apparently all frozen._

"_How are we gonna explain all this to Cole?" enquired Piper._

"_Umm..." considered Phoebe. Suddenly an idea hit her. She picked up a police baton and stood behind Cole. "I am so sorry." she whispered. Phoebe hit Cole over the head and he fell down. Grinning slightly at her sister's idea, Piper unfroze Leo and Darryl._

"_Oh, Cole, Cole!" Phoebe exclaimed. Cole sat up, rubbing his head. "Are you okay?" she asked solicitously._

"_Uh, yeah, I think so. What happened?" enquired Cole, looking confused._

"_Something good happened. Can you accept that?" Phoebe thought hurriedly for an explanation._

"_It's not in my nature." muttered Cole._

_

* * *

_

Cole's P.O.V.

That was the first time she lied to me. When she told me that Emilio tried to escape, the courtroom people tried to help him, and that Darryl stopped them. Later I began to use that as an excuse for me lying to her. When I began to fall in love with her. It was ok to lie, I told myself, because she lied to me. The difference was though, that she lied to protect the good she was doing and I was lying to protect the evil I was doing.

* * *


	2. The First Whispers Of Love

Thanx for the reviews!  
Nathy1000000: you always have something nice to say!! im very flattered!  
Badgirl21: thanx! well, as im following what happened in the show there's not gonna be a happy ending for Phoebe and Cole together but they will find peace with themselves.  
Sorry I didnt update for a while but i was in the middle of exams.  
lotsa luv

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**Chapter 2: The First Whispers Of Love**

"_You do good work." acknowledged one of the Triad._

"_To get close to the Halliwell's with no suspicion... splendid." agreed another._

"_And we were pleased that you informed us of the witch's nuptials." continued the third._

_Cole smiled coldly, "The pleasure was mine."_

"_And the pleasure was theirs when the information was shared." the second replied evilly._

"_You've got useful knowledge of the Charmed Ones, now you must gain their trust. Others have failed." warned the first._

_Cole raised his head confidently "Others weren't me."_

"_So, what is next?" enquired the third._

"_The wedding was child's play, a perk if you will." began Cole dismissively "I'm focusing my attentions on Phoebe, she's my way in. You sent me up to find out how to destroy them; I'd say we're well on our way."_

-----

Cole's P.O.V

I wish it could have stayed that simple. Gain the trust of the Charmed One's then kill them. Succeed where others had failed. Ruining Piper's marriage didn't really get me any closer to killing the sister's but as I told the Triad, at the time it was a perk; something to amuse me. Anyway the next part of my plan was to get close to Phoebe, so that was what I did.

-----

_"Phoebe, phone!" called Piper "It's your little lawyer boyfriend."_

"_He is not my boyfriend." denied Phoebe, glaring at Piper._

_"Weird." grinned Piper, amused._

"_Hello?" asked Phoebe into the phone, as Piper walked away._

_Cole voice answered, "Who's not your boyfriend?"_

"_Um...the mailman. Uh, yeah, sometimes Piper likes to tease me because I like to get the mail a lot. So, how are you?" continued Phoebe hurriedly._

"_Well, it's a beautiful morning and I got a beautiful woman on the phone, so things could be worse." Cole smiled down the phone, "God, I sound like Billy Appleby." he added self-consciously. _

"_What?" asked Phoebe._

"_Nothing." replied Cole_

"_No, wait, what did you just say?" insisted Phoebe._

_Glancing at the piece of paper in front of him, which had a list of Phoebe's likes and dislikes, Cole answered, "Billy Appleby's just this guy from this old movie I watched too much when I was a kid."_

_"Kill it before it dies" chorused Cole and Phoebe in unison._

"_You've seen it?" inquired Cole_

"_Once or twice." replied Phoebe._

_Cole grinned "Really? Too bad it's not playing; I'd take you to see it." _

_Phoebe mouths 'I love you' to the phone as Cole continued, "Of course we could always have dinner instead."_

"_Are you asking me out, Councillor?" teased Phoebe with a huge smile._

"_Guilty." admitted Cole. He turned the paper over in front of him so a map of the manor was showing. The Book Of Shadows was marked on it. "How about tonight? I could stop by your place." he offered._

-----

Phoebe's P.O.V

I was so flattered when Cole asked me out for the first time. I'd liked him from the first time that I had seen him and, of course, I thought he was human. At that time there was never any doubt in my mind that Cole was who he said he was. I didn't want to have any. And besides he had a job, he helped put the bad guys away; he was one of the good guys. If only things could have stayed as they were then. Later, when I did finally meet up with Cole, we shared our first kiss. It was magical. I think it was then that I began to fall in love.

-----

_You walked in the room and time was standing' still,  
Knew you were my destiny by the way you made me feel,  
Only you in my life, forever and today,  
You're everything I ever imagined my love could be,  
You for me. _

Like the stars need the sky,  
And the river needs it's rain,  
Like an eagle needs it's wings,  
And the fire needs it's flames,  
Like the sun needs the day,  
And the night needs the moon,  
Like the air that I breathe,  
That's how I dreamed of you,  
I dreamed you.

It's hard to explain but when you know you know,  
I was so amazed by you, you had me and: 'hello',  
I need you in my heart, my body, mind and soul,  
It only took a moment to take my breath away,  
will you stay?

-----

Cole's P.O.V

I knew that I had fooled her. That she didn't suspect anything about me. She was more worried that I would suspect something about her. She was always trying to make excuses for those mysterious family emergencies that frequently cropped up. She didn't know that I already knew why she had to go suddenly; that I was the one behind most of the attacks. Then, though, all I was interested in was getting close to her so I acted as if I liked the mystery. If I had listened to my human half, maybe I would have realised that I wasn't pretending; that I really was having fun; that I enjoyed my time with her as a human more than the years I spent in the underworld as a demon. Maybe I would also have realised that my feelings went deeper than that; that I was beginning to understand what love was. However I buried my feelings and devised a plan to kill the one who began their line, Melinda Warren. But I couldn't even escape my feelings in the past.

-----

"_Care to know your future, milady?" asked a stall holder._

"_Oh, no thanks, I'm pretty familiar with it already." replied Phoebe smiling inwardly._

"_Are you certain? I can show you the first initial of your true love's name." pressed the man._

"_Really?" inquired Phoebe, now intrigued, "You can do that?"_

"_With a simple peel of the apple." nodded the man._

_Cole walked up to them, disguised, "Prove it." he demanded._

"_And why would you be interested, sir?" asked Phoebe, turning to face Cole._

"_And why wouldn't you be?" returned Cole playfully._

_A silence fell between them as Phoebe studied his face, "Okay, how do I do it?" she asked the stall holder._

"_First," he began peeling an apple, "you must fill your heart, only thoughts of love. Then close your eyes and blow on the peel."_

_Phoebe does so as Cole watches, "Drop the peel into the water and watch." continued the stall holder._

_Phoebe dropped the peel into the bucket of water and watched as the apple bobbed about._

"_How is it that the apple knows this big secret?" she inquired. _

_Cole answered "It's simple, milady. Apples are the fruit of knowledge."_

_In the bucket of water the apple peel forms a C._

"_It is C." the stall holder declared dramatically, "The name of your true love begins with a C."_

"_Cole." whispered Phoebe._

_His heart beating faster than normal, Cole turned to look at Phoebe, 'Me?' he asked himself, shocked._

-----

Cole's P.O.V

It's only a man trying to make a living for himself, I told myself. It's not proper magic, it didn't mean anything. My human half did surface for a moment though; when Phoebe took the C to mean Cole I could feel something in my heart. However I ignored my heart though and focused on my head, which told me witches and demons don't fall in love. I ignored the fact that my father had fallen in love with my mother, a demon. It couldn't happen and it's not happening I forced myself to believe.

-----

Phoebe's P.O.V

I was too busy to think about what the apple had shown me until later, but when I did, I couldn't get my mind off it. Was Cole really my true love? Were we destined to spend the rest of out lives together? I now know that the answer to my first question was 'yes', but the answer to my second was 'no'. We had too many obstacles in our path to walk it together.

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lyrics from 'I Dreamed You' by Anastacia.


	3. The Demon Who Loved Her

**Nathy1000000**: yay, more compliments!! Hope u like this chapter just as much!

**Barb6**: Thank u so much for reviewing!

Sorry I'm not updating all that often, well not as often as I did in my last fan fic, but college seems to have decided that we need to be given lots of work to do, so I'm not having so much time. I'll try to update every couple of days tho.

--Just thought I'd mention it's supposed to snow tonight so I'm happy!!--

lotsa luv

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**Chapter 3: The Demon Who Loved Her**

_The manor stood empty. Cole cautiously opened the front door which had been left unlocked. "Phoebe?" he called out, "Anybody home?"_

_There was no answer so Cole walked in and closed the door behind him. He paused by the air conditioning unit and turned it up. Walking into the living room, Cole picked up a lamp and smashed it on the floor. He opened all the windows and then shimmered out._

_Cole reappeared into the attic. Carrying on from his actions downstairs he opened the attic door and the windows. Looking round the attic, Cole saw the purpose of his visit; the Book Of Shadows. He walked over to it, an air of tension about him. Not noticing the crystals aligned in front of the book, Cole walked up to the pedestal the book was on. As Cole stepped into the crystal white electricity surrounded him and he fell to the floor._

_Just at that moment, the three sisters walked into the manor. They all heard the thud as Cole fell on the floor. They all froze for a moment before rushing to the attic. _

"_Cole?" exclaimed Piper in amazement as she saw who was lying in their trap._

"_What?" blurted Phoebe incredulously, hurrying to Cole's side._

"_Wait, it could be dangerous." cautioned Prue._

_Phoebe turned to Prue angrily "For god sakes, Prue, he looks really hurt."_

"_Phoebe, it's a trap for demons. You do the math." retorted Prue, looking suspiciously at Cole. _

_Phoebe knelt down beside Cole and rested his head on her knees. "What are you doing here?" she enquired._

"_I came by to see how you're doing." Cole replied, shaking his head from side to side to clear it._

"_Are you okay?" asked Phoebe, concerned_

"_So how did you get in and what are you doing up here?" cut in Prue, suspiciously._

"_The front door was unlocked and when I saw the windows were open..." justified Cole_

"_You thought that someone broke into the house again." continued Phoebe, relieved there was an explanation for it. Cole stood up and Phoebe turned to glare at Prue, "Third degree over now?" she demanded_

"_What happened? What's that?" questioned Cole, glancing at the crystals surrounding him._

"_Uhh..." Piper began._

"_It's a trap." explained Prue shortly, still not completely trusting Cole._

"_A what?" Cole replied._

-----

Cole's P.O.V

That was close then; and stupid. If I hadn't been so confident that I could get their Book of Shadows then they would never had had any doubts about me; or at least, not then anyway. Prue was suspicious of me, I could tell. Piper…I couldn't really tell but I think she thought Prue was overreacting, that she believed my reason for being in the manor. However Phoebe believed me completely. It gave me some satisfaction that I had gotten close enough to her for her to believe me immediately. But most of it was lost when I thought about how I was betraying her trust. She trusted me implicitly and I was trying to kill her and her sisters. The longer I spent in this world the more human I felt and I realised that I couldn't go on like this. I was falling in love and it was going to prevent me from doing what I came here to do. I had to end it with Phoebe.

-----

_Phoebe and Cole were in the foyer of the manor. Phoebe opened the door to let Cole out but then she changed her mind and closed it. _

"_Uh, you know what? Is there something wrong?" she asked quickly, before she lost the courage to do so. _

"_No." replied Cole shortly_

"_It's just you haven't said anything since we left the restaurant." persisted Phoebe, wanting Cole to continue._

"_A lot on my mind, I guess." replied Cole._

"_Work?" inquired Phoebe._

"_Yeah, sort of." muttered Cole, "Umm… I don't know how to say this." he began._

"_Uh oh. Don't ever start a sentence like that with a girl. You don't wanna see me anymore do you? Right, I'll never accept a lunch date." said Phoebe trying to laugh._

"_It's got nothing to do with you. I mean, you know how I feel about you." Cole almost whispered._

"_I don't understand. I think that I deserve to know." asked Phoebe sadly._

"_I promise you'll understand soon. Maybe more then you'll want to." replied Cole, feeling his heart breaking inside of him._

_Cole turned to open the door. He went out, passing Prue who was walking up the steps at the same time. _

"_Ohhh..." gasped Prue, stopping. She reached out to close the door, "Whoa, I haven't felt anything like that since Andy was alive." she said looking first at Cole's retreating back then at Phoebe._

"_Anything like what?" sighed Phoebe distractedly, following Prue's gaze at Cole._

"_Spinning into infinity. You know, that head long spiral that steals your breath and stops your heart." grinned Prue._

_That got Phoebe's attention, "Prue, what the hell are you talking about?" she demanded._

"_Falling in love." smiled Prue._

"_Falling in love?" questioned Phoebe, "Prue, I just got dumped, okay, I'm trying to experience a break up here. Who's falling in love?"_

"_Cole." replied Prue simply._

_Phoebe laughed nervously, "Okay, you're so off track."_

"_Oh! Oh! Wait, I felt that too. Your heart just jumped and I felt it. You're falling in love too." exclaimed Prue happily_

-----

Phoebe's P.O.V

Despite whatever problems it caused I was glad that Prue had the powers of an empath for a short time; if she hadn't I would never have known how Cole really felt; I would have just let him walk away. However the knowledge that he was falling in love with me made me refuse to let him go without a fight. We were both falling in love and I wasn't going to ignore that. So I went round to his later. It was perfect, magical, except that I knew he was hiding something from me. I tried to ignore it though; I mean I was hiding something from him too. I wasn't going to let Cole go.

-----

_Cole was packing his suitcase sadly when he heard a knock at the door. "Phoebe, what are you doing here?" he asked, unable to believe that she had come to see him._

" _I, um, I came to tell you something." Phoebe began nervously, " Actually..." she continued reaching up to kiss Cole, " I was always better at show then tell."_

" _You have no idea what you're getting yourself into." Cole whispered guiltily. _

" _Neither do you." replied Phoebe_

-----

Cole's P.O.V

From that morning that I woke up I knew that I loved Phoebe. After years of suppression my human half had shone through and I was happy. Happy beyond words or expressing; I was finally experiencing love. For a few blissful moments I was just a guy in love with a beautiful girl.

-----

_Loving you is easy because you're beautiful,  
Making love with you is all I want to do,_

_Loving you is more than just a dream come true,  
And everything that I do is out of loving you._

No one else can make me feel the colours that you bring,  
Stay with me while we grow old and we will live each day in spring time,

Because loving you has made my life so beautiful,  
And every day of my life is filled with loving you,  
Loving you I see my soul come shining through,  
And everything that I do is out of loving you.  


-----

Cole's P.O.V

It was a nice thought; unrealistic, but nice. Who was I kidding? It was never gonna work out between us. She was a witch and I was a demon. She was good and I was evil. She saved innocents and I killed them; I mean hell, I was even trying to kill her and her sisters. I was living in a fool's paradise; there were barriers between us that even love couldn't conquer; barriers that the Triad weren't going to let me forget.

----

_Phoebe and Cole were lying in bed, kissing. Hesitating, Phoebe drew back._

"_What?" asked Cole, "No, tell me." he insisted at Phoebe silence._

"_I don't know." sighed Phoebe, "It just seems like whenever I get close to you, you pull away from me. Why do you do that? What are you so afraid of telling me?"_

"_Phoebe, don't." pleaded Cole, rolling over so his back was towards Phoebe._

"_I wanna know; I deserve to know." insisted Phoebe._

"_Phoebe, you don't know what you're asking for." appealed Cole. He sat up with his back facing Phoebe._

"_Whatever it is you can't keep pretending that it's not coming between us. You can't keep hiding from the truth." persisted Phoebe _

_Suddenly, Cole turned into Belthazor. He turned round snarling and attacked Phoebe. _

_Cole woke up, breathing heavily. One of the triad members was standing in his apartment._

"_That wasn't so hard now was it?" he asked calmly._

"_What are you doing here?" demanded Cole_

"_Reminding you of your inner nature, Belthazor." replied the Triad member, "One that would be in your best interest to reconnect with...soon." he continued ominously._

"_I won't let you down." insisted Cole._

"_You already have. You set out to destroy the witches; instead, you bedded one of them." snarled the triad member._

"_That was a mistake." Cole justified hurriedly, "I..."_

_He was interrupted by the triad member waving his hand in front of Cole. A dagger materialised in Cole's hand._

"_Find demonic help if you have to, Belthazor, but you better find a way to kill the witches or we'll kill you." _

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lyrics from "Loving You" by Minnie Ripperton


	4. The Point Of No Return

Hiya!! Sorry this is shorter than the other chapters but Iv had and still got mass loads of work for college so im v busy at the mo.  
Thank you for the reviews Nathy1000000, BadGirl21, darkimmortal20 and Barb6.  
Hope everyone enjoys this chapter too!!  
lotsa luv

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**Chapter 4: The Point Of No Return**

_"I'm sorry but we have to stop seeing each other, okay. Why? Because, because I have to kill you that's why. Smooth."_

-----

Cole's P.O.V

I'd already tried breaking up with Phoebe, but it hadn't worked. Nevertheless after last night's visit from the Triad member I had planned on trying again. It was going to have to end soon, one way or another, and it would be better for Phoebe if she didn't find out who I was when we were still seeing each other. I really did plan on breaking up with her then, using different wording than in my head of course. But I had a brainwave; I thought of a way to kill the Charmed One's. I told myself that I couldn't break up with Phoebe because I had to sort out my plan, but that was just an excuse. I just couldn't do it. I loved her and my human half wouldn't let me let her go.

-----

_"You know, for someone about to score one of the biggest victories in centuries, you don't seem very happy about it."_

-----

Cole's P.O.V

That's what Andras, the demon of rage said to me. And he was right. I was breaking up inside; at war with myself. My human half was screaming at me not to hurt Phoebe; my demon half was telling me to sit back and enjoy the show. I had set the Charmed Ones up to be infected with rage and now they were going to destroy themselves and give me the victory evil had been waiting for. But guess what; I couldn't go through with it.

-----

_"I was just so angry and I said such horrible things to them and I-I-I didn't really mean any of it." sobbed Phoebe. Cole touched her shoulder sympathetically, his face marred with guilt. Phoebe turned around and hugged him. "I'm sorry." she whispered._

"_Please. Let me get you a tissue." Cole extracted himself from Phoebe's grasp and grabbed a tissue for her, "Here."_

_Cole led Phoebe over to the sofa and sat her down with her back to his alter. Cole walked slowly over to it._

"_The things that were said, I don't even know where they were coming from…" continued Phoebe, upset. Cole opened the door of his altar, glancing up as Phoebe shared her heart. "…I mean, I guess it was issues, you know…" Cole reached in the altar and pulled out a dagger. "…that were never really dealt with and then, all of a sudden, just exploded."_

"_Nothing ever happen like that before?" asked Cole, trying to be calm. Behind Phoebe's back he closed the alter door quietly._

"_Oh, no, not like that. I mean, we used to fight all the time when we were little, you know…" Cole started walking back towards Phoebe holding the knife in front of him. "…But since we moved in together, we just, we got really close, you know…" Cole put the knife in his belt and sat down beside Phoebe. "…We have been through so much together." Phoebe looked up and reached out to touch Cole's face. "Thank you for listening to me and thank you for being there for me." she finished sincerely. _

_Phoebe reached up to kiss Cole. Cole reached down and pulled the knife out of his belt. He raised it high in the air. Suddenly, changing his mind he lowered it and hid it in the cushions on the sofa. Cole pulled back guiltily._

"_I can't. I can't." he whispered_

"_What do you mean?" asked Phoebe._

_Cole stood up. "Phoebe, you need to go home. Now." he stated abruptly_

"_What? Why?" replied Phoebe, hurt and surprised, also standing up._

"_Because you're vulnerable right now. I know we shouldn't do this. You need to go home. You need to go and figure out what happened." _

_Phoebe managed a slight smile, "You're right. I do." she admitted._

_They walk to the door together. "Thank you." she repeated. She kissed Cole goodbye just as Andras appeared behind them. Cole caught his eye and replied "You're welcome." to Phoebe, steering her out the door without her seeing Andras._

"_So the rumours are true. You've fallen for a witch." sneered Andras as soon as Phoebe had left._

"_What are you doing here? Get out!" demanded Cole._

"_The great Belthazor. Who would've ever thought…" taunted Andras. Cole walked over to the sofa and carefully picked the knife up without Andras noticing. "…I can hardly wait to see what the triad will do when I tell them you failed."_

"_I will kill you before you ever get the chance." promised Cole ominously_

"_Yeah? Then you really are a traitor, aren't you?" accused Andras._

-----

Phoebe's P.O.V

I thought then that Cole had been the one to get me through that. And maybe he had been. But the fact still remains that it was him who set us up in the first place. He used me to make me and my sisters angry enough to use magic on each other, leaving us vulnerable to attack. Is the fact that he helped me in the end enough to cancel out his guilt in setting it up? I thought it was. When I found out the truth I wanted to believe that it was, well after I had accepted who he was I wanted to believe it. Now I'm not so sure.

-----

Cole's P.O.V

Like I said, I couldn't go through with it. Seeing Phoebe so broken hearted over her argument with her sisters broke _my_ heart too. I told her to go back to her sisters and make it up with them. A traitor, Andras called me. Maybe he was right. I was betraying the source. But it felt so right. Doing the right thing felt good; it made me feel so guilty but it made me feel worth something too. In the brief moment when Phoebe was leaving, before I saw Andras, I thought about telling her; telling her who I was. After Andras possessed me though, I knew I couldn't. Phoebe and her sisters would never believe that it wasn't really me then. Anyway, after that I had more imminent problems, like facing the Triad.

-----

"_I warned you, Belthazor. I warned you what would what happen if you failed us." snarled the first Triad member._

"_He's done more than fail us. He's betrayed us. You've betrayed the source." spat the second ominously._

"_He's showed sympathy to the witches." agreed the third disgustedly._

"_And squandered a golden opportunity." finished the first. He stretched out a hand in front of him and formed a spinning fireball. "You are allowed one final statement." he pronounced callously._

"_I've got nothing to say." replied Cole quietly, "Except..."_

_Suddenly Cole pulled out a knife and threw it at the first Triad member, vanquishing him. Retaliating, the second threw a fireball at Cole but Cole shimmered out and it missed him. Cole reappeared behind the third and coldly snapped his neck. Before the second could react Cole lashed out his hand sending a lightning bolt at him. Breathing heavily, Cole watched as the last member of the triad was engulfed in flames. In the darkness and silence of the cave, Cole threw back his head and yelled._

-----

Cole's P.O.V

I did it instinctively; it was kill or be killed; my frustration overflowed and gave me an edge over the Triad. It wasn't until after that I realised what I had done. I had killed the Triad. I would be a fugitive with a bounty on my head. The Source would want me dead. I had been one of his right hand men and I had betrayed him. I had to leave. I had to go, now. Hide, so no-one could find me. But I couldn't. I was injured and it was slowly taking the life of my human half. But deep down I knew I couldn't leave Phoebe behind. I couldn't just walk away. All that I had done, I had done because of her. My love for her had driven me tokill the Triad. She was all I had left.


	5. For Those Who Want The Truth Revealed

Hi- im so sorry for taking ages n ages to update and im afraid my excuse is the same as before - way too much work.  
Plz review and I'l promise to update sooner next time.  
lotsa luv

-

**Chapter 5: For Those Who Want The Truth Revealed**

"_Cole?" yelled Phoebe, knocking on his apartment door. "Cole, are you in there?" _

_She looked up at the sound of a door opening and saw one of Cole's neighbour's looking annoyed at the noise. "Oh, sorry." Phoebe apologized. The neighbour went back inside and Phoebe sighed looking back to Cole's door, which had remained closed. Glancing around Phoebe caught sight of a reddish stain that made her heart jump. There were drops of blood on the carpet leading to Cole's apartment. _

_Hurriedly, Phoebe opened the door. "Cole?" she called out worriedly. "Hello?"_

_Seeing a trail of blood drops leading into Cole's bathroom she followed the blood. _

_Inside the bathroom Belthazor stood behind the door grimacing, his hand over his wound. _

"_Cole?" called Phoebe again. Just before she walked into the bathroom Belthazor transformed back into Cole and grabbed a shirt. He pulled it on just as Phoebe entered. "Cole?" gasped Phoebe seeing his wound._

"_You really shouldn't be here." Cole warned her guiltily._

-

Phoebe's P.O.V

I was so worried. Cole was injured, maybe even dying. Why had he been hiding form me? Why hadn't he gone to hospital? Who had done this to him? I had so many unanswered questions but I pushed them to the back of my mind. Right now I needed to focus on saving him. I couldn't let him die. Cole was going to be ok.

-

"_Okay, Cole. Come on, lay down." directed Phoebe pushing Cole down on the bed. "Lay down. Easy. Are you okay?" she asked anxiously._

"_Do I look okay?" groaned Cole, the pain making him snap out._

"_I'm sorry." Phoebe apologized, "Okay, let's see how bad this is." she continued trying to be calm._

"_No, no, don't." discouraged Cole._

"_Believe me, I've seen worse, Cole." Phoebe assured him going to take off the bandage. Cole grabbed her wrist._

"_I said don't. Please." pleaded Cole._

"_We've got to get you to the hospital." insisted Phoebe._

"_It's not safe there, they'll find me." replied Cole wildly._

"_Who will find you? What's going on? Who's after you?" Phoebe wanted to know. "There was somebody looking for you today at your office. An investigator." she continued._

_At this Cole suddenly sat up, "You didn't tell him anything did you?" he asked quickly._

_Phoebe looked at Cole pointedly, "I don't know anything." she answered._

"_What did he look like?" Cole persisted, "You sure he wasn't a de…", he paused; he had almost blown his cover. "…A?" he finished hurriedly._

"_He said that he was." replied Phoebe, "And he also said that he needed to…" she broke off as Cole groaned. "Okay, come on, back down, back down." she instructed gently. Cole lay back down and Phoebe assured him "I'm gonna go get some help, okay." Looking upwards Phoebe whispered urgently "Leo?"_

"_Phoebe, come on." Cole began._

"_Cole, I am not just gonna sit back and watch you die, okay." she cut in fiercely. "Leo?" she called quietly again Turning back to Cole she told him "Um, I am gonna go back to the house, okay, and I'm gonna get Leo. He's a doctor, he can heal you."_

"_Okay." agreed Cole_

"_Are you sure it's safe for you here?" inquired Phoebe worriedly._

"_They've already looked for me here, they won't be back. Not for a while anyway." _

_Phoebe kissed Cole goodbye. "You'd better be here when I get back." she warned._

_Cole watched Phoebe leave and cried out in pain as he changed into Belthazor and then back to his human form again._

-

Cole's P.O.V

This was it. She was going to find out. Soon Phoebe was going to notice that my wound was the same as the wound she and her sisters had inflicted upon Belthazor. She was gonna realise that I wasn't who I said I was. Then she would vanquish me.

-

"_Phoebe, we shouldn't even be here." insisted Leo, walking down the corridor to Cole's apartment. "Belthazor…" _

"_Can wait." Phoebe finished. "Cole can't. Leo, he will die without your help."_

"_Then he should be in a hospital." Leo countered._

"_He won't go." Phoebe replied._

_Leo sighed trying to get Phoebe to see his side. "Phoebe, I can't heal mortals, you know that. Not unless they were hurt by evil. It's against the rules."_

"_So break the rules. You've done it before." snapped Phoebe, then getting her temper under control she continued, "I'm sorry, that wasn't fair. I just… I can't let him die, Leo." _

"_You shouldn't be asking me to do this." said Leo, torn between following the rules and saving Cole. _

"_I know, but I am." Phoebe agreed gently. _

_They went inside the apartment and saw Cole sitting on the floor. "Cole!" she exclaimed running over to him. "Cole. Come here." she directed laying him on the floor. _

_Leo knelt down beside Cole and took off the bandage. He stretched his hands over Cole's wound and started to heal him. Instead of a gentle healing glow, sparks flickered out of Leo's hands. _

"_Leo, what's the matter?" asked Phoebe concerned._

"_Something's not right." replied Leo warily._

_Suddenly a bright spark leapt into the air, causing a force which flung Leo across the room and into a chair._

"_Leo, are you okay?" gasped Phoebe surprised and alarmed at this._

"_Yeah, I think so." he replied guardedly. _

_Cole stirred, and Phoebe rushed over to his side, "Cole." _

"_Phoebe." said Cole, looking into Phoebe's eyes._

"_It's okay. You're okay now." assured Phoebe._

-

Cole's P.O.V

Physically, I was okay. Well, not dying anymore at least. The whitelighter hadn't been able to heal my demon half but my human half was fully healed so I would recover quickly. Mentally though, I was a mess. Phoebe didn't even have to notice the similarities between the wound Belthazor had and the wound I had anymore. Leo would know that the only reason that he couldn't heal me completely was because I was evil; a demon. And he would tell Phoebe. I would lose her and my heart was breaking; but I knew what I had to do.

-

"_What's the matter?" questioned Phoebe. Leo had dragged her out of Cole's apartment to talk to her and she wanted to get back to Cole._

"_Phoebe, listen to me, I think we should get of here now." directed Leo. _

"_I agree. Whoever's after him could come back." replied Phoebe, her mind still on Cole._

"_That is not what I'm talking about. You saw what happened in there." repeated Leo insistently._

"_Yeah, you healed him." Phoebe didn't want to follow Leo's thoughts._

"_No, Phoebe, I only healed part of him." Leo contradicted gently, "That has never happened before."_

"_Well, maybe it's just because he's weak." reasoned Phoebe desperately looking for an explanation. _

"_That is not the reason. I can heal mortals completely. There is no other explanation. He is not who you think he is."_

"_No. I don't understand." said Phoebe confused._

"_He is a demon, Phoebe." stated Leo, "For all we know he could be the demon that you are trying to vanquish." _

"_That's ridiculous." Phoebe was in denial._

"_Think about it, okay. They're both hurt; they're both on the run. You saw where Cole's wound is. It is the same place where Piper cut the flesh from Belthazor." persisted Leo trying to get Phoebe to see reason._

"_No, I don't believe it." Phoebe shook her head._

"_You have to believe it." insisted Leo._

"_No, I don't, Leo. I don't. Maybe you should just go." Phoebe ignored Leo's reasoning._

"_No way I'm leaving you here alone with him." disagreed Leo._

"_I have the potion don't I? Just go."_

-

Phoebe's P.O.V

My head was spinning. I didn't want to believe it but deep down inside I knew Leo was right. Cole was a demon and he was trying to kill me and my sisters. Everything was a lie. Cole had shattered my heart into little pieces but I still wanted to cling onto the hope that maybe, just maybe, there was another explanation. I was being stupid though, I knew. But I had to have proof. I needed to hear or see with my own eyes and ears, straight from Cole, the truth. There were so many unanswered questions. Prue had felt that Cole loved me and I had felt it too when we were together. And I knew that I loved Cole. How could he do this?

-

"_Is there something wrong, Phoebe? Something you're not telling me?" asked Cole._

_Phoebe remarked coldly, "Don't you think you think you have that backwards?"_

"_Meaning?" questioned Cole, a feeling of dread in his stomach._

"_You're the one with all the secrets, right?" Phoebe replied pointedly._

"_Am I? You sure about that?" challenged Cole._

_Phoebe sighed and shook her head sadly, "I don't really know what I'm sure about anymore."_

"_Yeah, I know how you feel." emphasized Cole._

_Phoebe gave a short bitter laugh, "I doubt that." she contradicted._

"_I think I know what's going on here, Phoebe, and I'm sorry it's come to this. But I'm not sorry about us. You need to know that." pleaded Cole, abandoning all pretences._

_Phoebe was silent for a moment before apparently changing the subject and saying "You never told me where you were from."_

"_You never asked." replied Cole unsure of where Phoebe was going with this._

"_I'm asking now." said Phoebe acknowledging that she suspected Cole._

"_Why don't you ask me what you really want to know, Phoebe. I won't lie to you." Cole spread his arms out and stood in front of Phoebe preparing to reveal his secret._

_Phoebe nodded slowly, a feeling of reluctance creeping over her "Who are you?" she whispered finally._


	6. Love Knows No Boundaries

hiya! its Shrove Tuesday today and u know what that means? Pancake day! yum! but im being a bad girl and not giving anything up for lent - u cant seriously expect me to give up chocolate can u!

Thank u nathy1000000, badgirl21 and sorceress cassandra180 for reviewing! and iv jus noticed all the stats like author alert and fav authors so thanx so much to everyone who'v put me on there!

ok im gonna stop yapping on and let u read the nxt chapter. Sorry its quite short but at least I updated quite soon - I think that makes up for it!

lotsa luv n plz review

-

**Chapter 6: Love Knows No Boundaries**

"_Krell." snarled Belthazor._

_Phoebe stared in horror and sadness as the man she loved transformed into a demon; the demon who had tried to kill her many times before._

_Belthazor materialised a knife into his hand and grabbed Phoebe as Krell went to attack him. _

'_No!' Prue cried as Belthazor shimmered out with Phoebe._

-

Phoebe's P.O.V

It was true. Cole was Belthazor. It felt like my world was falling around me. In my heart I had known it was true but without proof I had been able to tell myself that it might not be. Cole shimmered us around until he had lost Krell and my sisters and every time we shimmered elsewhere it felt like I left a little piece of my heart behind. I wanted to give in to tears; scream and yell; but I didn't. I tried to hold myself together for I knew what I had to do. I had to vanquish Belthazor.

-

_The cemetery was lit only by the pale, silvery moon. Belthazor shimmered in holding Phoebe and looking at the ground Phoebe could see the faint shadow of the demon she had known as Cole. She steeled herself for what was to happen next._

"_Can we stop shimmering all over the place? I'm gonna vomit." she asked trying to stop her voice from shaking._

_Belthazor opened his mouth to reply when Phoebe elbowed him in the stomach and flipped him over onto the ground. She got the potion out of her pocket._

_Trying to keep her voice unemotional Phoebe stated "And now it's time to vanquish you." _

_At her words Belthazor changed back into Cole. "Don't even think that's gonna save you." she continued. _

"_I don't. I just wanted you to see who I really am, Phoebe." Cole looked up at the woman who had touched his heart for the first time in decades._

"_I've seen who you really are...Belthazor." Phoebe spat bitterly raising her arm to throw the potion._

"_Wait, wait, I won't hurt you." Cole promised hurriedly._

"_No? It's a little late for that don't you think? Why? Why didn't you just kill me? Why did you have to put me through all this? Was it some sick twisted demonic thrill? Was that what it was?" Phoebe stopped herself before she broke down and stared coldly at Cole._

"_No, that's not it." emphasised Cole pleading with Phoebe to listen._

_Phoebe blinked rapidly to stop tears forming in her eyes. "Then what was it?" she asked replied angrily._

"_I couldn't kill you." Cole confessed. He raised his head to look Phoebe in the eyes. "I tried. I was supposed to. I mean, at first you and your sisters thwarted my attempts. Even when I went back in time to destroy your line on All Hallows Eve…"_

"_That was you?" cut in Phoebe._

_Cole didn't reply for a moment then carried on "Then Troxa, Andras. I got him to strip your powers, to make you vulnerable. I had you too, right where I wanted you. All I had to do was finish the job. But I couldn't. Because I realised I loved you."_

"_You bastard!" Phoebe yelled forcing herself not to believe him._

"_That's the truth, Phoebe. I admit everything else was a lie, but not that. I know you know that too; in your heart." Cole stared at Phoebe silently pleading with her. "This isn't a mask, Phoebe. It's who I am; who I really am. I'm half human. My father was mortal." he admitted._

"_You're lying." returned Phoebe._

"_How else would I bleed red; even as my demon self. You have to believe me, Phoebe. I forgot what it was like to be human; to feel; to care. Then I met you." Cole desperately spilled his heart to Phoebe._

"_No, it doesn't change anything; because you're still a demon." Despite her words Phoebe could feel a glimmer of hope _

"_One who's done unspeakable things." agreed Cole, neither of them noticing Krell appearing nearby. "But you've awakened something in me, Phoebe. Something I thought had died a long time ago. My humanity, my ability to love."_

"_I wanna believe you." admitted Phoebe._

"_Then let me prove it to you." Cole spread out his arms. "Vanquish me."_

_Before Phoebe could move Krell stretched out his hand and sent electricity flying at Cole. Cole flew through the air and landed hard on the ground._

"_Cole!" cried Phoebe running over to him "Cole, you've gotta get up. Cole, get up!" Phoebe helped Cole to his feet. "Come on, come on!" she yelled. Phoebe half carried Cole into the mausoleum ducking as Krell sent more electricity flying at them. Inside, Cole coughed and lent on a coffin. "Cole, no, don't do this. Come on." she encouraged walking him over to a corner of the mausoleum. Cole sat down as Krell walked in._

"_I should've known you'd come back here." he taunted._

"_Don't hurt her." threatened Cole weakly._

"_You disappoint, Belthazor." grinned Krell, "You've changed, you let your weaker human side affect your better judgment. It's going to cost you your life." Krell held up the potion he had taken from Prue._

_Making up her mind Phoebe ran up to Krell and kicked the potion out of his hand. She kicked him again and blocked his punches. Krell fell over a coffin and Phoebe jumped on top of it. She jumped back off to kick Krell, but he disappeared. _

_Krell reappeared behind her. "Witch." he spat furiously preparing to attack Phoebe._

"_Nooo!" screamed Cole. Cole threw an energy ball at Krell and vanquished him. Cole stood up and turned to Phoebe. "Do you believe me now?" he asked._

_As an answer, Phoebe walked over and kissed him._

-

Phoebe's P.O.V

I couldn't kill him. Maybe now I was experiencing what Cole had gone through. I knew I should but I could make myself; my heart wouldn't let me. Even after all that he had put me through, after all of the lies and secrets, when he told me he loved me I knew he was telling the truth and I couldn't kill him. I knew I loved him back with all my heart and I didn't stop to think of the consequences of letting him go. All I knew was that we loved each other.

-

_Your the first, the last, my everything  
And the answer to all my dreams  
You're my sun, my moon, my guiding star  
My kind of wonderful, that's what you are  
I know there's only, only one like you  
There's no way they could have made two  
You're all I'm living for  
Your love I'll keep for evermore  
You're the first, your the last, my everything_

-

Cole's P.O.V

At that moment I loved Phoebe so much. The truth was out and she still loved me. I may be thought to be dead; to have been killed by the Charmed One's but I didn't care about those things any more. All I cared about was Phoebe. Her love lifted me up; got me through the days of hiding. Quite simply, she was my everything.

-

lyrics from 'You're My First, My Last, My Everything' by Barry White


	7. Confessions Of A Witch

Thanx for the reviews!...since its half term I'll be able to update more regularly so hopefully no more long waits for the nxt chapter…for the nxt wk at least!

-

**Chapter 7: Confessions of a Witch**

_'Nobody will look for you anymore. You're dead.'_

_The words swam around in Phoebe's head as she stared at the spot in the mausoleum where she had faked Cole's death. She sighed and tilted her head back, her eyes trying to see past the crumbling stone roof._

"_Cole, if you can hear me. I can't stand lying anymore. I have to tell my sisters that you're alive, that I let you go, and that you would never do anything to hurt us and, that you love me. I just don't know how to do it."_

_The only answer Phoebe got was silence._

-

Phoebe's P.O.V

I was being torn apart by guilt; I couldn't look my sisters in the eye anymore. All I had to say was 'Cole is alive' but I couldn't get the words past my lips. I didn't want to see their faces when I told them that I had lied to them and tricked them. But I knew I had to.

-

"_Leo, Cole is alive." blurted Phoebe, before she lost the nerve to speak._

"_What?" exclaimed Leo, hardly believing what he was hearing._

"_Cole... Belthazor, I didn't really vanquish him." Phoebe held up a hand to stall Leo's reply, "I know. I know it's horrible, and I've barely been able to live with Prue and Piper ever since, but I just couldn't tell them."_

"_Phoebe..." Leo began_

"_I couldn't kill him, Leo." cut in Phoebe desperately trying to make Leo understand, "I had every intention of doing it, but when I got there and I was face to face with him, I just, I couldn't kill him, and I knew that my sisters were going to."_

"_So you faked his death?" asked Leo disbelievingly._

_Phoebe nodded slowly, "I didn't have a choice. Leo, I knew in my heart that he would never try and hurt us. Otherwise, I wouldn't have let him go you have to believe me. All I know is that I loved Cole. And if anyone understands forbidden love it's you, isn't it?"_

"_Oh my god, Phoebe. It's not even close to being the same thing. He is a demon." hissed Leo, trying to keep his voice down._

"_He's half-human." contradicted Phoebe._

"_For god's sake, he's a killer. He has killed witches and innocents and anything that has gotten in his way. What is the matter with you? What makes you think that he is not gonna come back here right now and try and kill all three of you?" Leo knew his anger stemmed from his worry than Cole would come back and he took a deep breath to try to control his anger._

"_He won't. I know he's good." insisted Phoebe._

"_No, you hope that he's good. You want him to be good." At a loss for words he continued, "Why did you even tell me this?"_

"_I don't know, Leo." Phoebe snapped sarcastically, hurt at Leo's unusual reaction. "I was sort of counting on you for your guidance and support."_

-

Phoebe's P.O.V

Leo's reaction shocked me. I know he was experiencing self-doubts at the time but I was hoping he would be able to help me. Instead, unintentionally, he just made me feel guiltier by blaming it on himself for being distracted by his relationship with Piper. Despite this I knew he didn't mean to have been so harsh; and I knew that I still had to tell my sisters.

-

"_I'm afraid to ask." commented Piper dryly._

"_Just something that I thought that I needed and then decided that I didn't." replied Phoebe quietly._

"_Okay." Piper nodded taking the piece of paper off Phoebe and reading it._

"_It's a lost and found spell." explained Phoebe._

"_Wow, perfect timing." grinned Piper, then she stopped suddenly. "Do I want to know what you were trying to find?" she asked._

_Phoebe paused. "Cole." she admitted not meeting Piper's eyes._

"_Cole? Honey, you were trying to bring a demon back from the dead?" Piper enquired sympathetically. _

"_No." Phoebe corrected. She took a deep breath, "He's still alive. I never really vanquished him."_

"_I'm sorry..." Piper began slowly as the realisation began to hit her._

"_It's over, he's not coming back and I don't want him to either." clarified Phoebe hurriedly._

"_Phoebe, you-you let him go? Are you out of your mind?" exclaimed Piper, loudly causing Phoebe to wince._

"_He's not after us anymore." Phoebe insisted, "He won't hurt us."_

_Piper shook her head in disbelief and worry, "No, you-you don't know that." she contradicted._

"_Yes, I do." replied Phoebe calmly. "Piper, I just, I couldn't kill him."_

-

Phoebe's P.O.V

Well, I thought Piper took it quite well. She was hurt that I had lied to them but that was kind of cancelled out by the fact that I had told her. She was also worried that Cole would come back to hurt us again but I knew that he wouldn't. I didn't know how to convey it to Piper, but I was more than certain that Cole would never hurt us.

-

"_Uh, Prue, there's one more thing." Phoebe decided that with Prue distracted by the prospect of a fight this was as good as moment as any to tell her._

"_Now? Now is your perfect moment?" hissed Piper incredulously._

"_Piper, we might die in there." Phoebe hushed her._

"_That doesn't mean you should tell her now." rejoined Piper._

"_Okay, tell me what?" asked Prue curiously._

_Phoebe nodded abruptly, "Cole is still alive. I never really vanquished him." she said quickly._

"_What?" exploded Prue._

"_Prue..." Phoebe started consolingly reaching out to touch Prue's arm._

_Prue pulled away, "Ooh!" she exclaimed angrily._

_There was a brief pause in which Phoebe glanced at Piper. Piper kept her face expressionless. Turning to Prue, Phoebe asked "Are we okay?"_

"_Not by a long shot." spat Prue, "Look, Phoebe, it you waited till now to tell me about Cole in hopes that we would die and you wouldn't have to deal with me, you have another thing coming."_

_With that Prue stalked away._

"_I think that went well." Phoebe whispered hopefully to Piper._

-

Phoebe's P.O.V

I knew that Prue would take it least well, but she did take it better than I expected in the end. She didn't understand why I had done it but she knew I was sorry for lying to them. She tried to understand.


	8. Back For Good

Thanx toBadgirl21,Nathy1000000 and Sorceress Cassandra180for reviewing...don't have much else to say so...enjoy!

-

**Chapter 8: Back For Good**

-

_Phoebe felt her heart rise into her throat as she stared at the TV screen. "But what..." she began, trailing off as her brain tried to cope with what she was seeing._

"_Am I doing here?" finished Cole from a scene in Phoebe's favourite movie. "Uh, I wasn't sure how you'd react. Thought this might be a safer way of letting you know I was back...for good."_

-

_Can we talk a while?  
'Cause I need you  
Lord, I miss your smile  
I need you  
I know I'm not the same, you see  
If we could only be, the way it was  
Then I'd never let you go_

_I know that I hurt you  
Don't you realize?  
Confused, thought we were through  
Can I tell you that I never felt like this?  
This pain, I can't ignore  
I want you back, and I'll never let you go  
_

_Just one more chance  
I know I was wrong  
Don't give up so easily  
Don't you know it's killing me?  
Just one more chance, to sing this song  
I'll never let you down, no  
Just one more chance_

-

Cole's P.O.V

I couldn't just leave and never come back. I still loved Phoebe and I knew that if we tried we could make it work between us. All I needed was another chance and I could show Phoebe that I didn't have to be evil, I could be good; and I would be for her.

-

_Phoebe walked almost hesitantly into the mausoleum. "Cole?" she called out tentatively, unsure of whether she was hoping to find him there or not._

"_Phoebe?" Cole came out from behind a crypt and walked over to her. "I knew you'd know where to find me." he smiled, relieved that Phoebe had come._

_At Cole's confident words Phoebe felt anger welling up inside her. She drew back her fist and punched him in the face._

"_That is for ruining my favourite movie and, oh yeah, my life too." she spat._

"_Phoebe." Cole started, placating._

"_I don't want to hear it, Cole." Phoebe interrupted, "I'm over you. I want nothing to do with you anymore."_

"_I don't believe that." replied Cole unflinchingly._

"_Oh yeah? Well, believe it because if I ever see you again, I'm gonna do what I should've done a long time ago, which is vanquish your sorry ass." Phoebe folded her arms across her chest and stood there resolutely._

"_Apparently distance hasn't exactly made the heart grow fonder." muttered Cole, grinning slightly._

"_Huh." snorted Phoebe turning to leave._

"_Phoebe, wait. Hey!" Cole called hurriedly as Phoebe started walking away. As Phoebe stopped he continued, "Look, I took a huge risk coming out in the open and contacting you. The least you can do is hear me out."_

_Phoebe turned around slowly but there was little encouragement on her face. She raised her eyebrows, inviting Cole to continue._

_Cole swallowed and took a deep breath before carrying on. "I've been hiding this whole time, shimmering from realm to realm to realm to keep the Source from realizing you didn't vanquish my sorry ass. You're the only one who knows I'm alive."_

"_Actually that's not true. I couldn't keep lying to my sisters. I had to tell them." Phoebe stated._

"_Okay, that's okay, I understand. Just as long as you didn't tell Leo." Cole added. Phoebe looked away. "Oh, for god's sake, Phoebe. Why didn't you just put an ad in the paper, tell the whole damn world!" he exclaimed._

"_You know what? Maybe I should have." yelled back Phoebe._

"_I've risked my life for you, Phoebe; my soul. I've put myself in more danger coming back here than you could possibly imagine because I want to try and figure out how to make this work between us." Cole tried to get his temper under control; it would hardly help his cause,_

"_Good and evil can't work together." stated Phoebe, although Cole could hear some sadness in her voice._

"_We did before." contradicted Cole_

"_I learned from my mistakes." Phoebe responded coldly._

"_So did I." replied Cole desperately, "Phoebe, I can suppress my demonic half just like I suppressed my human half before we met. I can be good. You've seen that. And if you know I can, then why can't we be together?"_

_Phoebe shook her head sadly, "It's too late."_

-

Phoebe's P.O.V

It was too late. While Cole had been away I had had time to think; to think about where we went from…wherever we were. It couldn't work, no matter how hard we tried. He was a demon and I was a witch; it was that simple. He was evil and I was good. Despite what he said; that he could be good; he could never be fully good. There would always be a part of him that was pure and utter evil. There would always be a part of him that would keep us apart.

-

_Phoebe ran desperately into the mausoleum. "Cole? Cole?" she called breathlessly, "Uh, please, if you can hear me, I..."_

_Cole shimmered in. "I was beginning to think I'd never see you again." he said relieved that Phoebe had come back._

"_I'm not here because of us." said Phoebe, "I need you to help me and if you do, it doesn't change anything between us. You have to know that."_

_Cole considered this briefly, "Hmm. I'm listening." he replied._

-

Phoebe's P.O.V

To be truthful I wasn't entirely sure that Cole would've helped me. He said he wanted to try to make it work between us but I was asking a lot of him and for nothing in return. I couldn't help it. Then, all I wanted was Prue to be safe and Cole was the only one who could help. I tried to ignore anything I still felt for Cole.

-

"_Well, how can we find out who wants the book now?" questioned Phoebe._

"_I could check around, but I'd risk demons finding out I was still alive." Cole paused; "I'm sure there's still a huge bounty on my head." he finished pointedly_

"_I want my sister back." stated Phoebe._

"_No matter the cost?" asked Cole_

_Phoebe stared at Cole coldly, "I want my sister back." she repeated._

-

Cole's P.O.V

It hurt hearing her say that. That she was willing to sacrifice me in order to save her sister and she wanted me to do the sacrificing. But I would do it. I had told Phoebe that I would do whatever it took to prove to her that I was good now; and that was what I was going to do.

-

"_I'm doing this for you. Know that." called Cole as Phoebe turned to leave. _

_At his words Phoebe paused then suddenly turned back around and kissed Cole passionately._

"_Now I'm really confused." muttered Cole._

_Phoebe looked embarrassedly at her feet, "Me too." she admitted, "I, uh, I-I don't, I don't know where that came from."_

_Cole cleared his throat, "Okay, uh, I better go."_

"_Yeah." nodded Phoebe._

"_Listen, if you don't hear back from me, I, um, I got caught."_

-

Phoebe's P.O.V

I was lying then. I did know where the kiss came from even if I didn't want to admit it. No matter how hard I tried to hide them I still had feelings for Cole and my heart wouldn't let me forget it.

-

"_How'd it go?" asked Cole trying to be calm._

"_Everything's back to normal again." replied Phoebe._

_Cole nodded slowly, "Good."_

"_Yeah. Good." echoed Phoebe._

_Cole paused, watching Phoebe shift uncomfortably, "It's not enough, is it?" he asked quietly, "What I did doesn't change your mind about us, does it?"_

"_No." admitted Phoebe._

"_Why not?" asked Cole_

_Phoebe took a deep breath, "It's too complicated."_

_Cole sighed exasperatedly, "Oh, don't give me that. If nothing else, let's at least be honest with each other. We owe that."_

_Phoebe looked up and met Cole's gaze, "I love you and I will always love you. Nothing can change that. It's just the temptation, it's too much. And I can't take that risk, for me or my sisters."_

"_Phoebe, I'm telling you, I'm not evil anymore." insisted Cole._

"_Maybe not on the surface and maybe not even in your heart. But somewhere inside of you, you'll always be. And you can't ever change that." She turned and started to walk away, "Goodbye." she called softly over her shoulder._

"_I'm not giving up, Phoebe." called Cole after her retreating back, "I'm not going away."_

-

lyrics from 'One More Chance' by Anastasia


	9. Accepted By Love

Wow...there's snow everywhere…it's so pretty! Sorry for the wait in updating but i was too busy snowballing!...well we hardly ever get more than a couple of days snow a year, can u blame me!

Ok back to this chapter; well, don't have much to say about it really, just enjoy it and don't forget to review! Tell me if you think I'm putting to many flashbacks in and not enough of Phoebe and Cole… I think I might be…

* * *

**Chapter 9: Accepted By Love**

_Cole reached up and rang the doorbell. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other and breathed in the scent of the flowers he had brought with him. Rubbing a hand over his unshaven chin Cole looked up as the door opened.  
_"_Hey, Prue, long time. Is Phoebe home?" he asked breezily stepping past her and into the foyer.  
__Prue stood there dumbfounded for a moment then, coming to her senses, flicked her fingers, sending Cole flying across the foyer to land on a small table.  
__At the sound of the crash Phoebe and Piper jumped up from the couch and ran into the foyer.  
_"_What the..." Phoebe began, then seeing Cole she gasped, "Cole, what...?"  
__Phoebe walked over to him almost in wonder as Cole pulled himself to his feet.  
_"_Phoebe, hi. Oh, phew." Cole grinned still attempting to be light-hearted. He presented the flowers to Phoebe with a flourish. "These are for you." He announced brightly.  
__Phoebe pushed the flowers away, still too astounded at Cole's presence to make a reply.  
_"_What the hell are you doing here?" spat Prue, "Do you have some kind of death wish?"  
_"_I told Phoebe last week that I wasn't giving up on her and I, I meant it." Cole looked around at the sisters, his tone less perky as he found little encouragement in their faces.  
_"_You talked to Phoebe?" asked Piper, then without waiting for an answer turned to Phoebe, "He talked to you?" she demanded her voice rising slightly hysterically.  
_"_Uh-huh." nodded Cole as Phoebe remained silent, with a slightly guilty look on her face as she faced Piper.  
_"_You said that he was alive. You never said that he was back." Prue accused angrily gesturing wildly at Cole.  
_"_It didn't matter because as I told him, I don't want anything to do with him anymore." replied Phoebe coldly staring at Cole._

* * *

Phoebe's P.O.V

I thought that he had got the message…or at least I hoped he had. Apparently he hadn't and now my sister were gonna be mad at me for keeping secrets from them about Cole… _again_. Why did he have to show up again? I was trying my best to ignore the feelings I had for him and all he was doing was dragging them back to the surface again. I reacted in the way which came instinctively to me; to pretend that I didn't care.

* * *

"_Okay, um, anybody up to a rehearsal dinner?" questioned Piper  
_"_Absolutely. I'm starving." smiled Phoebe.  
__Everyone except Cole headed for the dining room. "Well, I guess I should be going." he muttered uncomfortably.  
_"_Yeah, that would probably be a good idea." agreed Prue coolly.  
__Phoebe paused by the door then turned and walked back to Cole. She looked into his eyes for a moment, "You're not going anywhere." she opposed tenderly.  
_"_Phoebe, I don't want to cause any trouble." began Cole  
__Phoebe reached up and kissed him before he could say any more. Everyone else looked away, their expressions carefully neutral.  
_"_You're staying and that's that." decided Phoebe resolutely.  
__Piper and Prue exchanged glanced before Piper clapped her hands at an attempt to lift the mood. "Alright then, shall we?" she asked brightly.  
_"_Yeah." nodded Cole contentedly.

* * *

_

Phoebe's P.O.V

After Cole risked his life to save me I couldn't just ignore those feeling anymore. I loved him. It was as simple as that and anything else we could work around. I couldn't just let him leave; walk out believing that I didn't care; especially after everything he had done. I knew my sisters weren't happy but I hoped that they would come round to the idea. Hopefully they would see that we loved each other and be happy for me.

* * *

Cole's P.O.V

Phoebe had accepted our love for each other. I was so happy I felt like I was walking on air. I knew I had to help save her as I was the only one who could and I wasn't going to let her die. No matter how she felt about me I loved her and that was enough to make me want to save her. I wasn't feeling much friendliness from her or her sisters, Prue especially, at the beginning but after Prue and I had saved Bo and so saved Phoebe she finally admitted to herself that she loved me. I had never felt so accepted in my life when Phoebe said I was staying and that was that; never felt so content with life. I only hoped that it wouldn't change.

* * *

_"I should get outta here." muttered Cole, not meeting Phoebe's eyes.  
_"_What?" exclaimed Phoebe, "Why?" she continued incredulously.  
_"_Because it's getting too dangerous." replied Cole gently.  
__Phoebe shook her head dejectedly, "So you're just gonna disappear again?" she challenged.  
_"_If that's what it takes to keep you safe." started Cole.  
__Phoebe cut in before Cole could finish, "What about keeping me sane, Cole. I'm not gonna lose you again."  
_"_Some demon obviously knows I'm alive or at least suspects that. Why else would they have killed my landlady? And if they killed her, they'll kill anyone they have to, to get to me." Cole met Phoebe's eyes but then had to look away as he tried to reason with her.  
_"_That is exactly why you cannot leave. We have to stop them before they hurt anybody else; or before they hurt you." insisted Phoebe, desperate not to lose Cole.  
__Cole reached out to take Phoebe's hands. "They're after me, Phoebe." he replied gently, "This is my battle. I'll handle it."  
__Cole turned and started to walk away before Phoebe stopped him.  
_"_I love you," Phoebe stated simply, "…and if holding onto that means that I have to fight a couple of extra demons along the way, then bring 'em on." She finished fiercely bringing a smile to Cole's face.  
_"_Unfortunately, we have no idea what we're dealing with." he pointed out, glad that Phoebe wanted to help him.  
_"_So we'll figure it out together" she replied smiling tenderly.

* * *

_

Cole's P.O.V

I should have known better than to think it might last. But it wasn't as bad as I had dreaded. Ok demons were after me and I was worried that Phoebe might get hurt but she was willing to stick by me… Hell, she was determined to stick by me! It felt strange. As a demon there was always someone to stab you in the back but never anyone who would stand by your side through loyalty. I knew how lucky I was to have found Phoebe.

* * *

"_It's strange to be back here." observed Cole distractedly, surveying the familiarity of what used to be his apartment.  
_"_I know." agreed Phoebe, "It's strange to be back here too."  
_"_This was the first taste I had of a normal life." continued Cole as if he hadn't heard Phoebe. "There were mornings I'd wake up next to you and I didn't feel evil. I was just a guy in love with a beautiful girl. I wanted it so much. I started to believe that lie."  
__Phoebe smiled up at him, "That's not a lie anymore. We can have that. We can have a life together."

* * *

_

Cole's P.O.V

Being back in my old apartment brought back memories that I would rather forget. It reminded me of whom I had been before I met Phoebe; of how guilty I had felt when I was betraying her. I never wanted to feel that way again.

* * *

"_Well, at least we saved one." commented Prue, glancing at Cole.  
_"_Wow, did you hear that? You just reached innocent status." grinned Phoebe to Cole.  
__Cole smiled, glad for the release of tension, "Well, that's good." he laughed

* * *

_

Phoebe's P.O.V

My sisters had finally accepted Cole. Prue had called him an innocent, well near enough anyway. I knew that it would take a while to fully accept him but they were on the way and I felt so much better now that Cole and I could be together without the disapproval of my sisters. Cole and I were together now, for good.


	10. Suspicious Minds

Thnx for all luvly reviews! Sorry for the wait but its extra long to make up for it!

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 10: Suspicious Minds**

"_The truth is I don't know how much longer I can keep doing this." admitted Cole._

"_Doing what?" asked Phoebe._

"_You know; the running, and the hiding. Even if I stop, where do I go? I'm still half human, but I can't go back. On the other hand there's really no place for me in your world either." Cole stopped walking and stared pensively into space. _

_Phoebe turned to face him, "What are you saying?"_

"_I'm just saying it's complicated. But it doesn't have to be, not with magic on our side. I've been thinking, isn't there some kind of spell or something in the Book of Shadows, you could strip my powers?" Cole looked into Phoebe's eyes hopefully._

"_Wait, you wanna give up your powers?" she questioned in surprise._

_Cole nodded, "If I don't have them, I can't be tempted to use them, I could just stay good..."_

* * *

_I can't believe you're here with me,  
And now it seems my world's complete,  
And I never want this moment to end.  
I close my eyes and still I see,  
My dreams become reality,  
And now I know how it feels to be in love.  
I prayed so many nights that you would come my way,  
An angel from above to light my darkest day.  
We're gonna be together for eternity.  
I prayed so many nights that you would come my way,  
An angel from above to light my darkest day.  
A love so strong it can't be wrong,  
It's with you that I belong.

* * *

_

Cole's P.O.V

If that was what it would take for me and Phoebe to be able to be together without putting her in danger, then I would strip my powers. If that was what it would take for me to stay good, with no possibility of turning back evil, then that's what I would do. I never wanted to go back to the place I was at before I met Phoebe and I was prepared to give anything up for it.

* * *

"_The Brotherhood of the Thorn are way beyond anything you've dealt with before." informed Leo, a slightly worried expression on his face._

"_So we can't just let them go. There's gotta be a way to find out what they're planning." insisted Phoebe._

"_There is one way." spoke up Cole, "For me to go back."_

"_Cole…" started Phoebe_

"_If you want to know what they're up to we have no choice." continued Cole, deliberately not looking in Phoebe's direction._

"_Okay, but you'll be exposing yourself to the source. They'll kill you." discouraged Phoebe desperately._

_Cole shook his head, "Maybe not; they've probably already surfaced, set up camp in this world. I won't have to go under completely."_

"_It does kind of make sense." admitted Prue apologetically._

"_Well, if course it makes sense to you, Prue, you're always looking for a way to get Cole out of our lives." snapped Phoebe suddenly_

"_Phoebe." Piper tried to placate Phoebe._

"_This isn't about her, Phoebe, it's about me." persisted Cole._

"_No, it's about us." retorted Phoebe tearfully as she strode out of the room.

* * *

_

Phoebe's P.O.V

Maybe I was just never meant to find happiness. Just when I thought Cole and I could be together, without any fears of demons coming after Cole, everything collapses. Just like when I thought Cole was human then I found out he wasn't. I wasn't angry at Prue; I was angry at the possibility of losing Cole. If he went under he might never come back and I didn't want that to happen; I wouldn't let it.

* * *

"_Phoebe, I have to go." insisted Cole gently, watching as Phoebe gathered ingredients for the power stripping potion._

"_Nope, you can't." responded Phoebe shortly._

"_Phoebe…."_

"_Remember that power stripping potion you asked me for, like an hour ago, and everything was still wonderful? Well, I have an idea, I just need some time." Phoebe began to grind some ingredients up for the potion, not acknowledging Cole's words._

"_Phoebe, I have to go. And I'll need my powers while I'm gone."_

"_Why? What are you gonna do?" challenged Phoebe._

_Cole sighed, "Just blend in." he replied, "That's it. I won't do anything evil."_

"_Well, let me make sure you can't." Phoebe said resolutely continuing to grind the ingredients._

_Cole reached out a hand and took the mortar and pestle of her and put them on the table. "I'll be smart, and careful. I'll check in with you every two hours." he promised._

"_How? They'll track your shimmer." countered Phoebe, still trying to stop Cole from going._

"_Not if we meet in the mausoleum. That's the second safest place I know."_

_Curiosity overcame Phoebe's determination, "What's the safest?" she asked._

"_With you." responded Cole simply. "I thought you'd be proud of me." he continued at Phoebe's sigh._

" _Of what? Being suicidal?" yelled Phoebe, tears forming in her eyes._

"_I am coming back. I always have." assured Cole. _

"_How can you be so sure that you're gonna come back this time? Cole, you've been hiding from them for months. And I don't understand, there's a price on your head and now all of a sudden you're willing to expose yourself? For what?" exclaimed Phoebe._

"_For good." replied Cole, "You taught me not to walk away and let evil win, to fight the good fight. That's all I wanna do."_

_Phoebe ducked her head and wiped the tears from her eyes. "They'll kill you." she whispered._

"_I have a plan, don't worry. This is the right thing to do, Phoebe. You know that, we both do." Cole kissed Phoebe's hand, "Mausoleum, two hours, okay?" _

_Cole paused then abruptly shimmered out before Phoebe could stop him.

* * *

_

Cole's P.O.V

I didn't want to do it any more than Phoebe wanted me to but I knew I had to. Despite what she said I knew that Phoebe wouldn't think so much of me if I just sat back and let evil win. Besides, I was fighting for good now, and that meant fighting against evil. Everybody has to make sacrifices sometime in their life and now was my turn. Even though I promised Phoebe everything would be ok, I wasn't completely sure myself. The Brotherhood of the Thorn were powerful and they knew me well. They might not believe me and then they wouldn't hesitate to kill me.

* * *

_Leo orbed into the mausoleum, seeing Phoebe staring dejectedly at a column. "Anything?" he asked._

"_I'm sure it's not as easy to break away from there as he thought. He'll show." replied Phoebe._

"_It's okay to be scared." offered Leo._

"_No, I'm not scared. Concerned maybe, a little." Phoebe tried to smile but it didn't work, "We shouldn't have let him go." she sighed unhappily._

"_We didn't. He chose to." replied Leo gently._

"_I know, and for what? To prove to me that he's good? He doesn't have to prove anything to me." Phoebe was interrupted by Cole shimmering in, "Cole." she exclaimed running over and hugging him. "Are you okay? Did they buy your story?" she asked._

_Cole nodded, "For now, but I gotta get back. They're suspicious enough as it is."_

"_Well, then maybe you shouldn't go back." _

"_I want to, to stop them. Look, I don't have much time. All I know is they're after someone who's gonna be at Pier and Pescadero at 8am. But I don't know who."_

"_We might." Leo spoke up, "Frank Pirelli runs Lexserom but he doesn't want a big merger to happen."_

"_The brotherhood does. Makes sense," acknowledged Cole, "Explains why they've taken over investment banking firm." _

"_How does it explain that?" inquired Phoebe._

"_The best way for evil to get a foot hole in the human world is to take over their businesses. Work from the inside out." explained Cole._

"_You just learn that, did you?" questioned Phoebe almost accusingly._

"_No." replied Cole shortly._

"_So" planned Leo, "We need to safe guard Pirelli, till the merger vote at 11:00, and the brotherhood loses."_

"_Yes, but if you intervene, they might think I had something to do with it. You could blow my cover." pointed out Cole._

"_We can't let them kill Pirelli." countered Leo._

"_But you can let them kill me?"_

_Phoebe interrupted the two men, "No, no, Cole, look at me. We're gonna find a way to protect you. You'd better get back."_

"_Alright. I'm looking forward to seeing you in your cape and gown." grinned Cole.

* * *

_

Phoebe's P.O.V

I was really worried then that Cole wasn't going to come. I tried to put on a face for Leo but It didn't work. I knew that something was going to go wrong.

* * *

"_Wouldn't it be nice to save the world at a descent hour?" asked Piper grumpily._

"_Okay, well, we have to focus here because if we don't pull this off just right, Cole is screwed." pointed out Phoebe._

"_Well, as long as we wait until the last second, Cole should be fine." reassured Prue._

"_Well, let's just hope that killing Pirelli isn't all they want." interjected Leo._

" _Well, if it wasn't he would've told you, right? I mean, unless you think he's holding something back." asked Piper._

_Phoebe snorted in anger, "You know, this is amazing. First Prue can't sacrifice Cole fast enough, and now you can't wait to sell him out as a traitor."_

"_She was just asking a question, Phoebe." soothed Leo_

"_That she should know the answer to." snapped back Phoebe, "We all should. Cole is risking his life for this. The least we can do is trust him."_

_Further down the road members of the brotherhood were waiting for Pirelli._

_Vornac glanced at his watch, "Go." he commanded one of the demons. The demon got into a car and started up the engine. Klea appeared beside Vornac, "Well?" he asked._

"_I haven't been able to prove Belthazor's story one way of another." reported Klea._

"_That's alright." replied Vornac, "We're about to find out if he's telling the truth or not."_

_Vornac and Klea walked over to Cole and Tarkin as a black limo drove out of a building car park. The demon in the car drove out in front of the limo, forcing the limo to stop. _

"_I've got it, Mr. Pirelli." called the limo driver getting out the limp and storming over to the demon's car. "What the hell's the matter with you? Move your car now!" he demanded._

"_What are you waiting for?" spat Vornac to Cole on the side of the road, "Kill. Or be killed."_

_Cole moved slowly onto the road and the demon got out of the car and walked away._

"_Hey, where are you going?" the limo driver yelled after him, "Where you going, damn it!"_

_Cole powered up an energy ball and threw it at the limo. _

_Prue, Piper, Phoebe and Leo came running around the corner at the same moment and Piper froze the energy ball in mid-air. They ran over to the limo._

"_Alright, Leo, go, go, go!" directed Prue._

_Leo climbed in the limo and orbed out with Pirelli. The sister's headed back past Cole._

"_Maybe we should take Cole with us." suggested Phoebe, glancing back at him._

"_No, he has to look innocent after the fact. He's gotta figure out a way to get out on his own. Come on." Prue and Piper started walking away but Phoebe paused then ran back to Cole and slipped a note in his pocket. She stared into his face for a moment before running after Prue and Piper. _

_Piper sneaked a look around the corner of the wall and unfroze everything. The Cole's energy ball continued moving and hit the limo and blowing it up. The driver dove to the ground._

"_Go get the body." commanded Vornac to Klea._

_She left and Cole walked back over to Vornac._

"_What do you want the body for? inquired Cole, "There won't be much left."_

"_But even a trace could alert the humans to the switch." replied Vornac_

"_What switch?" questioned Cole, his question being answered by Vornac shape shifting into Pirelli._

_In the Halliwell Manor Leo had given Pirelli a sleeping potion and he and the sisters were discussing if the kidnapping would make the morning news._

"_What do we do now?" asked Phoebe, taking her eyes off the TV screen,_

"_Well, I don't know, that's up to Cole. He's gotta let us know what the demon's next move..." Prue trailed off as Frank Pirelli appeared on the TV screen, "…is." she finished in amazement._

_Vornac, as Pirelli, was making an announcement "It's no coincidence that just last night I changed my mind and decided to support this merger. Now someone's trying to kill me. That convinces me I've made the right choice. This merger will happen. Thank you."_

"_What was that about Cole telling us everything?"

* * *

_

Lyrics from Finally Found by the Honeyz

_

* * *

_

* * *


	11. Loyalty and Betrayal

Wow, I'm quite impressed; this chapter is quite long for me! Keep reading and reviewing!

BadGirl21: thanx! I updated as soon as I could...  
Nathy1000000: wow, i think that is the nicest review I have ever had! it was so lovely! thank u so much!  
Sorceress Cassandra180: thanx! glad u like it!

* * *

**Chapter 11: Loyalty and Betrayal**

"_If Cole had known about the switch he would have told us." stated Phoebe defiantly, turning to face her sisters._

"_Are you sure?" questioned Piper doubtfully, "He's back with his brothers now, maybe he's switched too."_

"_Come on, why all of a sudden are you off his band wagon? What's changed?" demanded Phoebe, her voice rising in anger._

"_The plan blew up in our faces, that's what's changed." responded Piper._

_Phoebe crossed her arms resolutely across her chest, "And Cole is responsible for that?" she challenged._

"_Phoebe, not knowing the switch is a pretty big detail to miss, don't you think?" pointed out Piper, "Aside from the whole he originally tried to kill us thing that's coming to mind right about now."_

"_Okay, but Piper, Cole's done a lot of good since then." interjected Prue, "We have to give him credit for that."_

"_Thank you." smiled Phoebe at Prue, who also smiled in return._

"_Come on, Phoebe," insisted Piper, "You have to admit you're a little worried about him."_

"_About his getting killed, yes, but not about his betraying us." Phoebe contradicted._

_Leo walked before Piper could reply and said, "Pirelli's still out cold in the basement." then noticing the tension between the sisters he asked, "How are things up here?"_

"_Getting colder by the minute." muttered Phoebe._

"_Okay, uh, we need to work on a plan, alright?" interrupted Prue, "And we need to be smart because Cole is counting on it. So the merger voting is at 11:00; that gives us two hours to figure out a way to get the demon impostor out of there."_

"_Anything we do could point Cole out as their leak. So we have to let him know what we're up to." decided Phoebe._

"_Do we?" asked Piper pointedly._

"_Yeah, he deserves to know that." replied Phoebe, "Let me tell him to get out of there."_

"_How are you gonna get him to meet you?" questioned Leo._

"_I slipped him a note at the attack asking him to meet me at the mausoleum. Let me try." pleaded Phoebe._

"_Okay, be careful and be fast. And if for whatever reason Cole doesn't meet you there, get back here right away, okay, so we can start working on plan B." said Prue._

"_Okay." agreed Phoebe, leaving.

* * *

_

Phoebe's P.O.V

Cole hadn't betrayed us; I knew he hadn't; he wouldn't. I had to believe that. I knew my sisters would be sceptical but I had to believe in Cole. I loved Cole and I knew he loved me so he wouldn't betray us no matter what. But I was still asking myself; why hadn't he told us about the switch? Was he in danger; were the brotherhood onto him? I was worried that he might not come back.

* * *

_I'm calling can you hear me,  
The angels will steer me,  
To your door, feel so sure,  
the night is the brightest.

* * *

_

_Cole shimmered into the mausoleum to see Phoebe waiting there. As she heard him shimmer in she looked up in relief._

"_Cole." she exclaimed, relieved, "Oh my god, I've been so..."_

"_No, don't." cut in Cole, "It's too dangerous."_

"_What do you mean? What's the matter?" Phoebe studied Cole's eyes in concern._

"_Just trust me." hissed Cole, "Where's Pirelli?" he asked in his normal voice again._

_Unknown to Phoebe or Cole, Klea appeared nearby but only her eyes were visible. She watched as Cole and Phoebe spoke together._

"_At the manor, in the basement." replied Phoebe._

"_So you do have him?" questioned Cole._

_Phoebe paused before answering, looking at Cole strangely "Yeah, of course."_

"_What's your plan?" continued Cole, unemotionally._

_Phoebe paused again, convinced that something was wrong. "Our plan is to vanquish the demon that took his place, before the merger vote." she told him finally._

"_No, you can't." discouraged Cole, "That will be a huge mistake."_

"_Why?" Phoebe asked, "Cole, you're scaring me."_

"_You should be scared." replied Cole ominously, "You have no idea who you're up against."_

"_Oh, don't I?" retorted Phoebe, in disbelief, "Cole, what's happening to you? What aren't you telling me?"_

"_I'm telling you to stay out of this, alright? Don't do anything. Just go back home, wait to hear from me. I mean it." Cole shimmered out abruptly, Klea invisibly following, leaving Phoebe staring miserably at the dark, stone walls of the mausoleum.

* * *

_

Cole's P.O.V.

It almost broke my heart treating Phoebe like that. She looked so upset at my lack of feelings I wanted to take her in my arms and promise her that everything would be ok. But I couldn't; I didn't know if it would be. The brotherhood suspected me, I knew they did, and I wouldn't put it past them to have me watched. I had to protect Phoebe from them. I didn't want to see her get hurt.

* * *

_Phoebe walked into the living room after returning from the mausoleum to find her sisters looking at her expectantly._

"_How did it go?" asked Prue._

_Phoebe paused, "I'm not sure, actually." she replied._

"_What does that mean?" questioned Piper._

"_I don't know," answered Phoebe, "It was strange; he was strange; almost mean. But he doesn't want us to go after the demon; he wants us to wait here."_

"_What? Why?" Prue asked surprised._

"_He didn't say. It doesn't make sense; the whole thing doesn't make sense. I think he's in trouble. Either that or..."_

"_Or he's turned." supplied Piper._

"_No, I don't believe that. There's gotta be a good reason why Cole's doing what he's doing."_

_Phoebe ran hurriedly down to the basement, Prue and Piper close behind. Cole and Tarkin had grabbed hold of Pirelli._

"_Cole!" exclaimed Phoebe_

_Cole raised his head to meet Phoebe's eyes for a moment before him and Tarkin shimmered out with Pirelli._

"_What do you think now?" asked Piper.

* * *

_

Phoebe's P.O.V

Despite all this I still didn't believe that Cole had turned; that he had betrayed us. It had to be a plan of his that he couldn't tell us without getting found out. He knew that I would never give up on him and would figure it out. Out love was strong enough to stop Cole from turning. I knew it was.

* * *

"_Vote's in, demon guy, you lose." announced Piper cockily, as she, Phoebe and Prue stormed into the office._

_At the other end of the office the chair swung round to face them but instead of the demon they were expecting, it was Cole sitting in it._

"_Piper, wait. Cole." said Phoebe, reaching across to pull Piper's hands down._

"_Surprised?" he asked, a smile spreading across his face._

"_What are you doing here? Where's the demon?" demanded Prue._

"_He sent me instead. It might be a test. I think he's onto us." replied Cole._

"_On to us? You make it sound like we're working together." spat Prue, still distrusting Cole._

"_Aren't we?" questioned Cole calmly._

"_Hmm, who you kidding?" replied Piper, "We should vanquish you on the spot. Where's Pirelli?"_

"_He's safe." answered Cole standing up._

"_Cole, where is he?" demanded Prue._

"_Where else would he be?" said Cole, the strange smile slipping over his face again._

_Phoebe watched him suspiciously, "The safest place you know; the mausoleum." she stated._

"_Isn't that what we agreed to?" he asked._

"_No, unfortunately, it isn't." replied Phoebe coldly, throwing the vanquishing potion at Cole._

"_Phoebe!" exclaimed Prue._

_As the potion hit him Cole started yelling, but as the sisters watched Cole morphed into Vornac. Vornac screamed in agony as he was vanquished and Phoebe surveyed the pile of ash, satisfied._

"_But how did you know?" asked Piper, "Did you know?"_

"_The safest place that Cole knows is with me. He said so." replied Phoebe quietly._

_Just at that moment the real Cole shimmered in. The sisters spun around ready to throw the potion._

"_Easy, easy." calmed Cole, "I know I'm not very popular right now but let the condemned man have his last words. I had no choice but to play it this way. They were so suspicious of me I had to make everyone especially you believe I was evil. Or I was dead."_

"_Some of us still think you're evil." muttered Piper._

"_Alright, so why did that demon impersonate you?" asked Prue coldly._

"_He didn't trust me. Wanted to find out whose side I was really on. I knew you wouldn't fall for it." answered Cole, with a smile at Phoebe._

"_What about Pirelli?" asked Piper._

"_I had to make you think I'd actually betrayed you, to give you motivation to kill Vornac and me." Cole paused then turned to face Phoebe, "Forgive me." he apologized._

"_I never doubted you." smiled Phoebe walking over to him. "Well, maybe just a little." she corrected before reaching up to kiss Cole._

_Unnoticed by the sisters and Cole, Klea was watching near by, only her eyes visible. As she saw Cole and Phoebe kiss she shimmered back to report._

"_You'd better get Leo to the mausoleum, get Pirelli back here before the merger." directed Cole._

"_Can't you get Pirelli?" questioned Piper._

"_No, I have to get back." answered Cole._

_Phoebe shook her head, worry clearly visible in her eyes, "You can't go back now." she disagreed._

"_Just to cover my tracks; I don't want those guys hunting me down." Cole reassured kissing Phoebe again, "I'll be out before your graduation party tonight, I promise." Cole smiled briefly then shimmered out, his words not alleviating Phoebe's worry.

* * *

_

Cole's P.O.V

I could see Phoebe was worried but I knew I had to go back. If I didn't then they would realise that I had betrayed them and they would hunt me down until they had killed me. I didn't want that and not just for my sake. I knew what the brotherhood could do and I knew they would come after Phoebe. I was only going to go back for a little while then make up an excuse as to why I was leaving. After all I had promised to be at Phoebe's graduation.

* * *

"_You saw the witches kill Vornac?" asked Tarkin turning to face Cole._

_Back in the underworld Cole shook his head, "No, I saw what was left. So I went to kill Pirelli but he was gone. I can only assume the witches found him."_

"_This is a disaster." groaned Tarkin, "What are we gonna tell Raynor? He wants a full accounting, you know."_

"_Tell him I warned Vornac not to go but he didn't listen. And now I have to go." Cole said preparing to shimmer out._

"_Go?" questioned Tarkin, stopping Cole from going, "Where?"_

"_I still have to find proof for the Source to clear my name. I can't very well do that here, can I?" Cole tried to smile calmly but inside his heart was racing; he wanted to get out of here as soon as he could. "See you soon, my brother."_

"_You can't go. Raynor wants a full accounting from you." repeated Tarkin._

"_You can fill him in. You know just as much as I do." Cole grinned briefly then began to walk off down the passage._

_Behind Cole, Klea and Raynor appeared by Tarkin. They exchanged glances before Raynor powered up an energy ball and threw it at Cole. Cole collapsed to the ground unmoving._

"_You were right, Raynor." said Tarkin coldly, staring at Cole's unconscious form._

"_Belthazor has much to explain; and much to answer for." replied Raynor ominously.

* * *

_


	12. Vanishing Trick

Thanks for reviewing Nathy1000000, Badgirl21 n katbaby!  
Only a short a/n for this chapter: hope u like it and review!**

* * *

**

Chapter 12: Vanishing Trick

"_Why can't we ever throw a party or have a wedding or just live our lives without evil screwing it up?" asked Piper cynically._

_Prue glanced over at Phoebe, who was looking miserable and worried despite the fact that it was her graduation party." She'll start celebrating as soon as Cole shows up." assured Prue._

"_What if he doesn't?" questioned Piper in reply._

"_What if he can't?" muttered Leo in agreement._

_They all walked over to Phoebe. "Hey." greeted Prue, "Look, whatever happens, he did the right thing. He helped get Pirelli back in time to cancel the merger; he helped us stop the brotherhood."_

"_He proved he was good." agreed Piper._

"_Yeah, but at what cost?" replied Phoebe bitterly._

_Prue answered sympathetically, "You can't think of it like that."_

"_Why not?" Phoebe asked tearfully, "Shouldn't I get to protect one part of my life and say; this, magic doesn't screw with; this, I get to keep?"_

"_Yes, you should." agreed Prue._

_Phoebe continued as if she hadn't heard Prue. "Last night Cole was back and he wanted to strip his powers, and I was graduating. Yesterday everything was perfect, and today it's all fallen apart. Where is he? What's happened to him?"

* * *

_

Phoebe's P.O.V

What _had_ happened to him? Something was wrong; it had to be. Cole had promised to be at my graduation party and the only reason that he wouldn't come, or at least find a way to tell me that he couldn't come, was that something bad had happened to him. At that moment the only thing I wanted was for Cole to come walking down the stair into P3 and tell me that everything was alright.

* * *

"_Phoebe? Phoebe, are you in here?" called Prue down the steps of the mausoleum. Stepping through the entrance she saw Phoebe asleep next to the crypt. "Hey, sweetie, wake up." she called softly, gently shaking Phoebe awake._

"_Cole?" murmured Phoebe, drowsily._

_"No, it's just me." corrected Prue, "Come on, let's go home."_

_Phoebe shook her head wildly, "No, I have to wait here for Cole." she insisted._

"_Phoebe, you can't just wait here, alright. He will know where to find you. Come on." Prue urged._

_Phoebe stood up, still looking around the mausoleum as if expecting to see Cole appear. "I don't understand." she almost sobbed, "He was supposed to go back under so that they wouldn't be suspicious of him, but it's been over a week."_

"_He probably just hasn't found a safe way out yet, that's all." Prue smiled at Phoebe trying to reassure her despite the fact that Prue suspected that Phoebe was right._

"_But what if he can't? What is the brotherhood found him out?"_

"_Look," began Prue, "even if they did, he would put some sort of a spin on it to, you know, get out of it. Come on, you know Cole; he knows what he's doing. You don't make demon of the century without having a few tricks up your sleeve."_

_Phoebe half smiled, acknowledging Prue's words. "I just hope he's ok, Prue." she whispered.

* * *

_

Phoebe's P.O.V

I knew in my heart that he wasn't ok. I knew that waiting in the mausoleum wasn't going to help Cole, but I felt like I had to wait there just in case he did come and find that I wasn't there. It was easier to sit by myself in the dark and quiet of the mausoleum, than to be in the real world where everything seemed to remind me of how long Cole had been gone for.

* * *

"_He betrayed us." spat Tarkin, looking at Cole's unconscious form lying on a large rock._

_Raynor smiled coldly. "But in so doing, he's acquired the knowledge of how to kill the Charmed Ones; something no other demon's been able to accomplish." he replied, "That, with his power, makes a very precious commodity for us, one worthy of saving."_

"_But how can...?" began Tarkin._

"_How can we save him?" finished Raynor, "Simple. We remove the only thing that's re-awakened his human half; his only foot hole to good; the witch's love for him." _

_Raynor and Tarkin walked over to stand next to Cole, "Just follow my lead." directed Raynor, hovering his hand above Cole's face._

_Cole woke up and slowly sat up, "Raynor." he stated slightly puzzled, "What happened?"_

"_I tried to kill you." replied Raynor, "Accidentally, of course. I didn't recognise you in your human form, my mistake." he lied, "Forgive me."_

_Cole paused for a moment before replying "How could I not? After all, you taught me everything I know. How long was I out?"_

"_Long enough for us to investigate reports that you crossed over to the other side." replied Raynor calmly, watching Cole for a reaction. _

"_Rumours, not reports." corrected Cole._

"_It doesn't matter that you fell in love with a witch, Belthazor, as long as you're back." responded Raynor, "To that end, I have an assignment for you; something that only your powers can achieve. I need you to get me a magical amulet, one that's hanging from the neck of a witch. Problem?" _

"_No." replied Cole trying to look unworried although his heart was beating faster than normal. Raynor waved a hand across Cole's face, giving Cole's the whereabouts of the amulet, "This shouldn't take long." he promised shimmering out._

"_Think he'll actually get the amulet?" questioned Tarkin, doubtfully._

"_Yes, but not before he tells his beloved witch what he's about to do." replied Raynor, "Then that should plant the first seed of suspicion in her heart."

* * *

_

Cole's P.O.V

I should have guessed what they were doing; that they knew I had betrayed them, that I was still working with Phoebe, and that I still loved her. I should have just left then; got out and back to Phoebe before it was too late; before I could cause Phoebe anymore worry. I should have known that I couldn't fool the brotherhood for long; that they knew me too well. But like a fool I walked blindly into their trap; I helped them try to split me and Phoebe apart.

* * *

_Phoebe sat miserably in front of the mirror, watching her reflection. _

_Cole shimmered in behind her and Phoebe gasped as she saw his reflection in the mirror. "Promise me when I turn around you'll still be there." she whispered hopefully._

_She turned around quickly and walked over to kiss him._

"_I've missed you so much." murmured Cole._

"_I've missed you too." replied Phoebe, tearfully._

"_They've given me an assignment." stated Cole, breaking away, "One that if I turn down..." Cole trailed off, his meaning clear._

"_What do you mean an assignment? What kind of assignment?" asked Phoebe._

"_I can't tell you." replied Cole._

"_Wh-" began Phoebe._

"_They've asked me to steal an amulet from a witch." cut in Cole, explaining._

"_A witch?" questioned Phoebe again._

"_Don't worry, I won't hurt her." assured Cole._

"_Oh, well, that's good news, Cole." Phoebe spat sarcastically, "You can't do this!" she exclaimed, upset._

"_You think I want to, damn it!" Cole sighed in exasperation. "Phoebe, I just have to buy some time so I can figure a way out. In the mean time, I have to at least pretend like I'm evil."_

"_No, but don't you see? If you turn into Belthazor, then you will be evil." insisted Phoebe._

"_What makes you think I'll have to?" asked Cole._

"_Well, because an amulet protects. It takes someone of great strength to overcome that." replied Phoebe, "Why do you think they choose you?"_

"_To set me up perhaps." realised Cole, "Raynor may be on to me."_

_Phoebe shook her head in confusion, "Who's Raynor?"_

"_He's the head of the brotherhood. And my old mentor. He has the power to read thoughts, and if he's read mine..." Cole trailed off again._

"_I'll come with you; watch your back." promised Phoebe._

"_No, no, no, you can't." Cole replied "That could be exactly what Raynor's expecting you do. He could be setting me up to get to you. I have to do this alone. Trust me, okay? I know what I am doing. Just concentrate on finishing the potion. If it works, Belthazor will disappear and Raynor won't be able to track me. Then we can be together."

* * *

_

Cole's P.O.V

I wanted so badly for my words to be true; that Phoebe and I could be together without having to look over our shoulders for demons. I was so sure that if I _was_ being set up then they were after Phoebe, not me. If only I had realised then maybe we could have sorted everything out then.

* * *


	13. Falling

Thanx to Nathy1000000, Sorceress Cassandra180, Barb6and BadGirl21 for reviewing! Ok, I'll try to put more of Phoebe and Cole's points of views in. Sorry for the wait in updating but Iv just been really busy, I'll update sooner next time I promise!**

* * *

Chapter 13: Falling

* * *

**

_"Who are you? How did you get in here?" demanded the witch defiantly._

"_Just do exactly as I say and I won't hurt you." promised Cole, "Just take off the amulet and put it down." he directed_

"_I've been sworn to protect it." responded the witch._

"_And I've been ordered to steal it." Cole advanced on the witch as she backed away, fear evident on her face, "Don't fight me. I beg you." pleaded Cole._

_Cole reached out for the amulet. As his fingers neared it, a blue light appeared around the amulet, creating a shield. The forcefield flung Cole back onto the floor but he got up again, unharmed._

_The witch, still sheltering behind the forcefield looked slightly relieved, "You can't take it from me." she countered._

"_Maybe I can't." admitted Cole. He walked closer to the witch and morphed into Belthazor, "But I can." Belthazor spat._

_Belthazor reached through the shield and ripped the amulet from the witch's neck. The shield disappeared. Belthazor grabbed the witch round the neck before he realised what he's doing. He suddenly released the witch, "Tell no one about the amulet. Not even your Whitelighter." he hissed before shimmering out abruptly._

_When Raynor shimmered into the shop the witch was huddled in a corner looking scared. "Who are you?" she asked nervously, "If you've come for the amulet, it's gone."_

"_And yet you're still here; living proof that Belthazor has indeed gone soft." muttered Raynor._

"_Belthazor?" stammered the witch._

_Raynor smiled mockingly, "The demon that'll be blamed for your death." he replied, throwing an energy ball at her. Raynor smiled in satisfaction as the witch screamed as the flames consumed her._

_At the sound of voices Raynor shimmered out._

_Prue and Phoebe entered the Wiccan shop and surveyed the empty room. "Anything?" asked Phoebe._

"_No." replied Prue shaking her head._

"_Do you think maybe we scried for the wrong witch?" questioned Phoebe puzzled._

_Prue looked round the room again, more carefully this time. She noticed the burnt curtains and scorch mark on the floor, "I don't think so." she answered fearfully._

"_Scorch marks." gasped Phoebe noticing them also, "Oh my god, do you think she's dead?"_

"_Unfortunately, I don't know what else to think." replied Prue grimly._

_Phoebe frowned in bewilderment, "That doesn't make any sense. Cole said she wouldn't get hurt."_

"_Yeah, well, somebody sure fired an energy ball in here." muttered Prue, still staring at the scorch marks._

"_Somebody like Cole, you mean?" snapped Phoebe angrily._

"_Phoebe, I'm not saying that it was Cole, okay? All that I'm telling you is what I see, what we both see." Prue took a deep breath and continued more calmly, "For what it's worth, I don't think it was Cole."_

"_Thank you." acknowledged Phoebe._

"_Alright, but if he didn't do it, who did?" asked Prue._

"_Well, Cole said that he thought he was being set up by his mentor." said Phoebe, thinking through it logically, "So maybe he is, maybe they're trying to frame him."_

"_Why?"_

_Phoebe shook her head, a worried expression creeping over her face, "I don't know," she replied, "but if it's true, that means his cover's blown and we gotta get him outta there."

* * *

_

Phoebe's P.O.V

Cole could be in danger. He could even be dead but I refused to let myself think that. All I knew was that we needed to get him out of there if Raynor knew that Cole had betrayed them because I didn't think Raynor would just let Cole go. But why was Raynor trying to set Cole up? What was he trying to do?

* * *

"_I know where to find the witch with the other half of the amulet." stated Cole._

_Phoebe jumped; not having heard Cole shimmered in, "Cole." she gasped_

"_I didn't kill her, Phoebe. I swear." pleaded Cole, inwardly begging Phoebe to believe him._

_Phoebe walked over to him, "It's okay, I know." she reassured him, "We believe you. You don't look so good. Are you okay?" Phoebe reached up to touch Cole's face but he pulled away._

"_I'm not sure." he replied tiredly. "What about the power stripping potion? How close are you?"_

"_Uh, we're just missing one ingredient, billings root, whatever that is. But as soon as I find it, then I can finish it." promised Phoebe_

"_Well, I don't have much time; I'm kinda hanging on by my fingertips as it is."_

"_Well, you have to hold on a little longer." replied Phoebe, then at the doubt on Cole's face she continued, "You can do it, Cole, I know you."_

"_Raynor says he knows me too." muttered Cole, looking away from Phoebe_

"_Cole, look at me. Look at me." she commanded. Cole turned back to meet Phoebe's eyes, "You have to keep fighting it. You have to keep fighting him; you can not let him win." she instructed firmly._

"_But fighting is how he does win. Raynor's just waiting for me to slip so he can drag me back in the fold; I know that's what he's doing." replied Cole, desperately_

"_He can't have you. I won't let him." assured Phoebe fiercly._

"_Then save me, Phoebe." pleaded Cole, "I've been ordered to kill the next witch. You have to get there first and stop me. Otherwise Raynor will win."

* * *

_

Cole's P.O.V

I could feel myself falling. Raynor was slowly dragging me back down and I didn't know how much longer I could hold on for. I would try though; I would give it everything I had, for Phoebe's sake. But I was scared; scared of what I might do. If I turned into Belthazor I might not come back, I might turn back to evil; and I couldn't let that happen. I didn't know how I was going to do what Raynor wanted me to do. I couldn't kill the witch; I wouldn't; but if I didn't then Raynor would know that I'd betrayed him and then kill me. I only hoped Phoebe could save me.

* * *

"_Who's there?" called out the witch sharply, as the sound of leaves rustling alerted her to someone's presence._

_Belthazor came out into the light and snarled threateningly. The witch stood up and held out the amulet. "You can't hurt me." she told him, although her voice was shaking slightly._

_As Belthazor walked towards the witch, the protective shield from the amulet surrounded the witch, protecting her. Belthazor reached through the shield just as Prue, Piper and Phoebe arrived._

"_Cole, don't!" yelled Phoebe._

"_Piper, freeze him." called Prue._

"_I might blow him up." replied Piper worriedly._

_Prue waved her hand at Belthazor, sending him flying back onto the ground and Phoebe ran over to the witch._

"_It's okay, we're witches too." she assured her. Then, noticing Tarkin in the trees, getting ready to throw an energy bolt, Phoebe desperately called "Piper!"_

_Piper flicked her finger but missed Tarkin and instead blew up a tree next to him._

"_Okay, that was good, that was, that-that was fine." reassured Prue, glancing nervously at Piper._

"_Kill them." snarled Tarkin._

"_No!" cried Phoebe as Belthazor powered up an energy ball._

_Belthazor threw the energy ball at Phoebe and the witch. It was deflected by the amulet, but the force of it threw Phoebe and the witch into the bushes behind. Seeing this, Prue used her power on Belthazor again sending him slamming into a rock. Tarkin snarled at Prue and got ready to throw an energy ball at her but Prue used her power on him as well. Both Belthazor and Tarkin stood up then shimmered out, Belthazor making eye contact briefly with Phoebe before she felt his gaze being torn away._

"_I'm fine, Prue, really." Phoebe assured her, "And Cole would not try to kill me. He knew that the amulet would protect me. He could've fired at you or Piper but he didn't. With the other demon there, he made the only choice he could."_

"_And you really believe that, right?" asked Prue sceptically._

"_Yeah, I know it." replied Phoebe defiantly, "I saw his eyes. They were filled with pain, not evil. Prue, we've gotta get him outta there before it's too late."_

"_Alright, then we better figure out a way to finish that power stripping potion fast. Come on."

* * *

_

Phoebe's P.O.V

I knew Cole wouldn't try to kill me. No matter what my sister believed, I saw his eyes before he shimmered out and there was good in them. I knew it. And I knew we had to help him; to get him out of there. I had to finish the power stripping potion and do it quickly because if Cole got hurt I would never forgive myself.


	14. Reaching The Bottom

**Chapter 14: Reaching The Bottom

* * *

**

_"Hey, where are you going?" asked Prue as Phoebe walked towards the manor door, car keys in hand._

"_To get Cole back here." Phoebe called over her shoulder, "If I'm right about what I saw in his eyes, he'll go to the mausoleum."_

"_And what if you're wrong?" questioned Prue gently._

"_Well, then he'll be back here with his buddy to get the amulet." cut in Piper sardonically._

_Phoebe turned back to face her sisters, "I'm not wrong. Cole's not the enemy." she tried to assure her sisters, "He's the victim. And I'm gonna save him."

* * *

_

Phoebe's P.O.V

I _was_ gonna save him. I was gonna save him because I loved him and I knew he loved me and I knew he wasn't evil. He was just in danger and he didn't need people doubting his loyalty when he was trying to help us. I know my sisters didn't totally trust Cole, and I couldn't blame them; but hopefully they trusted me enough to trust me about Cole. I wasn't going to let Cole down. I was going to save him.

* * *

"_How could you have failed?" demanded Raynor, "It was just one little witch."_

_Cole shook his head. "No, it wasn't. The Charmed Ones were there, just like I warned you they might be."_

"_We could have taken them." contradicted Tarkin, with a dark look at Cole._

"_We would have died." insisted Cole, "The amulet protected them."_

"_Which is exactly why I want it." replied Raynor coldly, "What has happened to you, Belthazor? The witch's magic never would have stopped you before; you never would have given up. What's changed?"_

_Cole and Raynor locked gazes for a moment before Cole threw up his hands in exasperation. "You know what?" he spat "Let's just drop the pretences, okay? I'm tired of playing games. We both know what you're trying to do, it's not gonna work."_

"_Yeah?" Raynor spoke confidently but Cole ignored him._

"_You don't care about the amulet. You only care about turning me against Phoebe." continued Cole angrily._

"_How smart, and yet foolish enough to fall in love." taunted Raynor, smiling mockingly._

"_Loving her is the best thing that's ever happened to me." answered Cole honestly, "You can destroy me, but you can't change that."_

_Raynor stopped smiling and a cold expression appeared on his face, "After all that I've taught you and all that I've given you, you're willing to give it all up for a witch?" he demanded._

_Cole nodded at this, "I'm not gonna kill for you, Raynor. Not anymore." he promised._

_Raynor raised his eyebrows slightly, still as confident as before, "Not even for your father's soul?" he asked calmly._

_A bright glowing sphere appeared in Raynor's hand. Cole gasped, frozen in shock for a moment, then started forward attack Raynor but Tarkin held him back, holding a knife to Cole's throat. _

"_Settle, brother." he commanded, but the whole of Cole's attention was fixated on the glowing sphere in Raynor's hand that held the soul of his father.

* * *

_

Cole's P.O.V

At that moment it felt like my world had stopped spinning. It felt like time had frozen and I was the only one aware, but I was paralysed by the soft light cast out by my father's soul. It was the perfect bargaining tool I had to admit. No wonder Raynor had been so confident that I would turn; that I would kill for him. A voice in the back of my head was asking me, 'what was one witch compared to my father?' but I tried to ignore it. I needed to get back to reality; back to Phoebe.

* * *

_Cole blinked, visibly shaking off the immobility that had hit him. "How did you get that?" he asked finally, his voice hoarse, "The Source?"_

_Raynor smiled coldly, "I'll promise to free him if you've fulfilled your end of the bargain. You kill the witch, come back and finish your obligations, and you and your father will both be free."_

_Cole hesitated then shimmered out, his face still murderous._

_Raynor turned to Tarkin, "All that separates us from getting him back are a few drops of innocent blood, and they're about to be spilled."

* * *

_

Cole's P.O.V

I was faced with an impossible choice; I had loved my father when he was alive but I also loved Phoebe - how could I choose between them? If I killed the witch Phoebe would be lost to me forever; she would never accept me after that and neither would her sisters. Despite this I knew what I had to do. There would be worse consequence than just one soul if I turned back to evil; even if the soul was my father's.

* * *

_Phoebe was pacing up and down the mausoleum when Cole shimmered in._

"_Cole. Surprised to see me?" she asked quietly._

"_I hoped" Cole smiled relieved, "but why'd you come after what I did?"_

"_Because you need me." Phoebe stated simply, "Besides, it's not like you haven't tried to kill me before. A little energy ball isn't going to stop me."_

"_You know, I didn't have a choice, I didn't mean to hurt you." Cole inwardly pleaded with Phoebe to believe him._

"_I know, I know, I know, it's okay." Phoebe assured him, "I just need to get you back to the house, get that potion and you will be safe."_

"_It's too late for that." Cole whispered, looking at his hand which had turned red with black marks on._

"_What do you mean?" Phoebe asked. Her eyes widened in horror as Cole briefly changed completely into Belthazor "We have to hurry." she said desperately, heading for the door._

"_Maybe I should shimmer us there." suggested Cole._

"_You can't use your demonic powers, it's too much temptation. We'll just drive there."

* * *

_

Phoebe's P.O.V

We were running out of time; Cole was running out of time. The demon inside of him was trying to take over but I refused to let it. I wasn't going to lose him. My heart almost bled for Cole when he shimmered in; he was scared, I could see it in his eyes. He didn't want to give in but he was weakening. We had to hurry.

* * *

_Jenna, the witch the Charmed One's were protecting from the Brotherhood, added the final ingredient to the power-stripping potion and watched as the potion turned blood red._

"_It's ready." she called softly to Leo. Cole looked up, catching his breath when he saw the potion that would prevent him from turning evil._

_The moment was shattered when suddenly, without warning, Raynor shimmered in and threw an energy ball at Leo. Leo was flung backwards into the wall and fell to the ground, unconscious. Jenna gasped and held out the amulet protectively._

"_Leave her out of this, Raynor." spat Cole._

_Jenna looked defiantly at Raynor, "I serve with every breath, even my last." she told him._

_Raynor smiled coldly, "I'll have to take you up on that. But I think I'll save that pleasure for my brother." he commented._

_Raynor threw another energy ball, this time at Jenna. The amulet protected her, but she was still thrown backwards into some boxes. Jenna fell to the floor and the amulet fell off, spinning through the air until it hit the wooded floorboards. _

_Hearing the noise from downstairs, Phoebe ran to the top of the stairs and tried to open the door but Raynor had blocked it._

"_Cole?" she called out desperately banging on the door. _

_Raynor turned to Cole. "I've come to take you home." he stated_

"_I am home." replied Cole defiantly

* * *

_

Cole's P.O.V

He wasn't going to take me back. I was home; I was with Phoebe and nobody or nothing was going to take me away from her. I would fight Raynor as much as it took; even until the end.

* * *

"_Cole!" Phoebe yelled again with even greater urgency._

_Ignoring her Raynor continued, "You will be home when you kill the witch. Stop fighting it, Belthazor. You're a demon. Embrace it. Let evil make you strong again, give into it."_

"_Cole? Leo?" called Phoebe again, uselessly pulling on the door._

_Raynor locked eyes with Cole, "The rage in you is raising but it's not me you want to kill. It's her." he told Cole, "Do it, do it for yourself." he hissed_

"_No." stated Cole again but less strongly this time.

* * *

_

Cole's P.O.V

I could feel the demon inside of me screaming for blood. The lust to kill was so strong I didn't think I could bury it any more. I could feel myself slowing slipping; slowly being pulled back down in evil's grasp. My resolve was weakening.

* * *

"_Cole, open up the door, let me in." pleaded Phoebe, turning to her sisters who had come up beside her._

_Prue tried to use her power on the door, but it only opened a little bit. Phoebe put her head by the crack and tried to see into the room._

_"Is she really worth sacrificing your father's soul for?" Raynor asked, playing his final card._

* * *

Cole's P.O.V

Something inside of me snapped then. Phoebe's shout of "Cole, no, don't do it." echoed meaninglessly around my head. I had let go; my hold was broken and I was falling. The ground was rushing up to meet me; the darkness was engulfing me; I had lost; I hadn't been strong enough; the evil inside of me had consumed me. I yelled at the top of my voice, letting out all my anger and rage which had built up inside of me. I was Belthazor again; I was free; no ties; no rules; free. It felt good; it felt right. I was back to being myself again. I summoned an energy ball liking the feel of importance it gave me.

The instant I let it fly I felt myself being grounded again. All the buried evil I had had inside of me had been expended. I found myself again in time to see Jenna die, to see Raynor shimmer out and to see Phoebe's heartbroken eyes fill with disgust.


	15. Save Me

Sorry for not updating for ages but I went on holiday over Easter. Thanx to everyone who reviewed…please keep reviewing!

Sorry this one's short but I promise the next chapter will be updated in a couple of days cause I'v almost finished it!

* * *

**Chapter 15: Save Me**

"_Phoebe." Belthazor morphed back to Cole, his expression pleading._

_"I saw what you did." whispered Phoebe tearfully, grabbing onto a nearby table for support.

* * *

_

Phoebe's P.O.V

How could I have just seen this? How could I have just seen Cole kill an innocent? My head was spinning, barely grasping the enormity of what I had just seen. My heart was breaking; I had loved and trusted Cole, vouched for him when my sisters distrusted him, and now he had betrayed me; betrayed my trust and love for him.

* * *

_"It…It's not what it looks like." Cole started desperately beseeching Phoebe to listen, "It wasn't..."_

_"Jenna is dead, and Leo is unconscious." cut in Phoebe, "What else could it be?"_

_"Raynor forced me, I had no choice." insisted Cole._

_Phoebe shook her head slowly, "There's always a choice, Cole." she stated sadly._

_"The potion." Cole reached out for it but Phoebe took it before he could get to it, "Before it's too late."_

_"It's already too late."

* * *

_

'Wake me up inside.  
I can't wake up.  
Wake me up inside.  
Save me.  
Call my name and save me from the dark.  
Wake me up.  
Bid my blood to run.  
I can't wake up.  
Before I come undone.  
Save me.  
Save me from the nothing I've become.

Now that I know what I'm without you can't just leave me.  
Breathe into me and make me real  
Bring me to life.'

* * *

Cole's P.O.V_  
_No. Phoebe _had _to help me. I was silently screaming at her to believe me; begging her to help me. She couldn't just walk away; our love was too strong. She was the only one who could save me. But I could feel her slipping away; and part of me was leaving with her.

* * *

_"You killed an innocent woman. There is no turning back from that." Phoebe felt tears fill her eyes as she held back the potion from Cole._

_"I didn't want to kill her. You've gotta understand that, I can still be good." insisted Cole desperately._

_"There's nothing good in you anymore." whispered Phoebe, her eyes hardening._

_"Maybe there never was." cut in Prue coldly, "You have to read the spell to activate the amulets, right? I mean, Cole, maybe that was your plan all along, to get the book."_

_"But evil can't use the amulets or the book." pointed out Piper, although also glaring at Cole over Leo's unconscious form._

_"He could've if we'd stripped his powers." realised Phoebe, "Is that why you wanted the potion, Cole?" she demanded, "So you could get the spell and use the amulets against us?"_

_Cole shook his head fervently, "Phoebe, you've gotta believe me." he begged._

_"I think she's believed you one too many times." replied Piper fiercely._

_"Stay out of this!" spat Cole, "This is between me and her."_

_"There's nothing between us anymore." stated Phoebe coldly, meeting Cole's pleading gaze._

_"Phoebe, don't let Raynor take this away from us, don't let him win." implored Cole._

_"Raynor didn't set you up, you set me up." Phoebe accused Cole bitterly.

* * *

_

'Don't let me die here  
There must be something wrong.  
Bring me to life.'

* * *

_"Please, save me." pleaded Cole feverishly._

_"Save yourself." spat Phoebe, throwing the potion on the floor._

_Cole stared entranced, as the potion arced through the air and smashed on the wooden floorboard. Realising his only hope of stripping his powers was gone Cole shimmered out, leaving Phoebe staring at the spot he had occupied until tears blurred her vision and she sank to the floor.

* * *

_

Phoebe's P.O.V

I had let him go; given up on him. But I didn't know what else to do. He had betrayed me before and had done it again. And he had hurt people I cared about in the process. Cole's love had all been a lie and I had been completely taken in. I had loved him so much and now he had shattered my heart into a million pieces. How could he have done this to me?

* * *


	16. Returning and Reliving

Thanx to ethereal girl, Nathy1000000, PhoebeColelovers and moonfirefairy for reviewing!

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 16: Returning and Reliving.**

_Cole shimmered into the underworld his pain turning to anger as he saw Raynor calmly standing there._

_"I knew you'd come back, I've been waiting for you."_

_"My father's soul, where is it?" demanded Cole._

_Raynor held out his hand and the glowing sphere that housed Cole's father's soul appeared in it. Cole carefully took it off him and stared deep into the bright light,_

_"Of course, now that you're evil, what can you do with it?" asked Raynor._

_"That's not your concern." replied Cole._

_"True." acknowledged Raynor, "You're my only concern."_

_"How'd you get me to do it? A spell?" Cole demanded angrily._

_"Does it really matter?" asked Raynor, "But you enjoyed it, didn't you, killing the witch?"_

_"Not as much as I'm going to enjoy this." Cole retorted, conjuring an athame and stabbing Raynor in the stomach. "You killed Phoebe's love for me. Now I'm gonna watch you die." he hissed._

_Raynor gasped in pain but a triumphant smile still appeared on his face. "I feel your heart, it's racing even as mine slows." he choked, "You're enjoying this, I can feel it."_

_Cole angrily pushed the knife in deeper but Raynor still had the smile on his face. "This is what I hoped for; your inner-demonic nature finally showing itself for all its glory."_

_Cole shoved Raynor away and he fell to his knees. "You're truly evil now, Belthazor. Welcome home." Raynor gasped before fire surrounded him.

* * *

_

'_Now I will tell you what I've done for you  
Fifty thousand tears I've cried  
Screaming, deceiving and bleeding for you  
And you still won't hear me  
Don't want your hand this time I'll save myself  
Maybe I'll wake up for once'

* * *

_

Cole's P.O.V

I was truly evil now. Raynor had cut the final ties that had bound me to my humanity; first Phoebe's love for me and now I had killed again I could feel the blood lust. Belthazor was surging through me, burying my human half and I knew I was evil again. I had given up everything for Phoebe but she had given up on me. I ignored my pain and focused on my anger. There was nothing holding me back now. I was myself again; evil.

* * *

_Prue looked over Phoebe's shoulder at what she had written in the Book of Shadows. "Cole likes walks in the park, jazz and fine wine." she read out, frowning in surprise "Phoebe, what are you doing?"_

"_Well, Cole's a demon. We write about demons in the Book of Shadows, don't we?" replied Phoebe, not looking at Prue._

"_Right," agreed Prue, "but this kind of stuff? Do you really think that's necessary?"_

_Phoebe nodded. "Yeah, if it prepares future witches in case he attacks. Absolutely. I mean, the more that they know about Cole, the better chance they have of hurting him before he hurts them."_

_Prue sighed and placed a sympathetic hand on Phoebe's shoulder, "Do you wanna talk about it?" she asked consolingly. _

"_No," Phoebe's replied shaking her head, "There's nothing to talk about. I loved, I lost and now I'm moving on."

* * *

_

Phoebe's P.O.V

That's what I told myself; I was moving on. I had accepted that I had lost my soul mate to evil and that he was a threat to us and other witches too. I didn't want to get emotional about it; I didn't think I would be able to manage if I did. Cole had hurt me so much and now I had to stop him before he hurt anyone else. I had to treat Cole as just another demon; ignore what he had meant to me. I couldn't break down; I had to be strong.

* * *

_Cole stood with his head bowed, chanting. A wind began to pick up around him as he heard Phoebe and Prue's voices filter through from the world above._

"_Magic forces black and white,  
__Reaching out through space and light,  
__Be he far or be he near,  
__Bring us the demon Belthazor here."_

"_No!" yelled Cole grabbing onto a rock as the wind got stronger._

_Back in the manor Prue and Phoebe chanted the spell again and a tunnel of wind appeared in the centre of the room._

"_Here he comes." warned Phoebe._

_In the cave Cole was still hanging onto the rock. He changed into Belthazor, snarling and the wind disappeared. Releasing his hold as the tunnel vanished, Cole banged his fist on the table, angrily, before striding out of the cave.

* * *

_

"_Well, they must have some of the vanquishing potion. Otherwise why try to summon me?" surmised Cole._

_The demon Cole was talking to suggested "Perhaps the witch who loved you wants you back? Humans can be very forgiving."_

_Cole grinned and shook his head, "Nah, not this human, not after what I did. If I know her, she wants to crucify me, and knowing her is exactly what I want you to help me stop doing. If I have to fully revert to my demonic self, I need to break all ties and remove all doubt."_

_Demon raised his eyebrows, "Transmuting your blood might make you immune to the witches' potion, Belthazor. But it won't necessarily make you immune from her pull." he warned Cole._

"_That's alright." he replied, "If she summons me again..."_

"_That's not the pull I'm talking about." the demon cut in. "Your human half will always be vulnerable to that which makes all humans vulnerable. No sorcery can change that."_

_Cole pulled up his sleeve. "Then do what you can." he commanded._

_The demon telekinetically lifted a knife into his hand and cut Cole's arm. He raised his other hand and electricity shot out of it into Cole's wound.

* * *

_

Cole's P.O.V

Phoebe wanted to vanquish me? Then let her try. If everything we had had together meant so little to her then she would find me willing to return the fight. With a little magical help I would be immune to any potion Phoebe might have made and my human half would be buried so deep nothing could bring it to the surface, or at least, that was what I thought.

* * *

"_Yeah, and how are we gonna save you?" asked Piper._

_Phoebe looked up in surprise, "What are you talking about?" she asked._

"_I'm talking about how the Banshee zeroed in on you even though I was the one blowing up things." replied Piper pointedly._

"_So?" questioned Phoebe._

"_So, the Banshee seeks out people who are in great pain." explained Piper, "And apparently it thinks you are."_

"_Piper, that's ridiculous." Phoebe laughed._

"_Phoebe. You are not the first Halliwell to fall in love with a demon and get burned. I know how much that hurts which means I know how much you hurt. But I think you're in denial."

* * *

_

Phoebe's P.O.V

Maybe Piper was right; maybe I was in denial. But to admit that I was hurting over Cole would mean admitting that I still loved him; and I couldn't bring myself to do that. I tried to tell myself I was okay about it but it wouldn't work for ever. I knew that I would have to face my emotions.

* * *

_Phoebe walked hesitantly into the attic and over to the Book of Shadows. She slowly flipped through the pages until she was looking at the page about Belthazor. Phoebe reached out to touch the picture of Belthazor before picking the book up. Collapsing on a chair, Phoebe hugged the book and began to cry.

* * *

_

Phoebe's P.O.V

Seeing the page in the Book about Cole brought everything to the surface. Piper was right; I was hurting and I had been in denial. I loved Cole so much and now he was gone

* * *

'_I'm so tired of being here  
Suppressed by all my childish fears  
And if you have to leave  
I wish that you would just leave  
'Cause your presence still lingers here  
And it won't leave me alone _

These wounds won't seem to heal  
This pain is just too real  
There's just too much that time cannot erase'

* * *

_Eventually, when she had let out all of her pain, Phoebe stopped crying. "Why, Cole?" she whispered heartbrokenly.

* * *

_

Phoebe's P.O.V

Why had he done this to me? How could he have betrayed me? We could have had so much together but now all that we had been through was for nothing. How could he have done this?

* * *

All lyrics by Evanescence. 


	17. Love Hurts

Sorry for the wait in updating…I've been really busy. I have exams coming up so I don't know if there'll be another long wait but I'll try my hardest to update ASAP.

* * *

**Chapter 17: Love Hurts**

"_You fought the Banshee!" exclaimed Leo, an anxious expression forming on his face, "Are you and Phoebe are okay?"_

"_Yeah, fine," Piper replied puzzled at Leo's worry, "Why?"_

"_Because the elders just told me that Banshee's are former witches." Leo informed her._

_Piper shrugged not getting the point, "So?" she asked._

"_So, the Banshee's scream doesn't kill witches, it turns them into Banshees." explained Leo._

_As Piper and Leo looked towards the stairs to the attic apprehensively they heard the banging of tables shuddering and the tinkling sound of vases shaking. "Piper!" yelled Phoebe._

_In the attic Phoebe could hear the Banshee's call getting closer. "Piper!" she yelled. A vase shattered as it fell on the floor. Phoebe whirled around and the banshee appeared on the window sill, as all the windows shattered, filling the attic with flying glass._

_Phoebe fell to the floor as the banshee screamed at the top of her voice and began to advance on Phoebe. The sound of footsteps distracted the banshee though and it spun round as Piper and Leo entered the attic at a run._

_Piper raised her hands and exploded the banshee, the sudden silence very welcome. _

"_Huh, shut her up." Piper snorted satisfied with the kill._

"_Phoebe, you okay?" asked Leo, seeing Phoebe hadn't moved from her position on the floor._

_There was a moment when Phoebe just started blankly at Leo, then suddenly she transformed into a banshee._

_Banshee-Phoebe rose to her feet as Piper and Leo slowly backed away from her muttering "Uh oh."_

_Piper and Leo looked on horrified as banshee-Phoebe ran over to the window. Phoebe let out a loud high-pitched shriek before leaping out of the window and disappearing into the night.

* * *

_

Phoebe's P.O.V

I screamed at the top of my voice. It felt like I was letting out my pain and anguish but it wasn't leaving me. My pain seemed to come alive and flow through me and I felt a desire to hurt; to find someone else hurting as much as I was and to pour out my pain into them. I let out another scream and sensed the pain of someone who could be my first victim. Leaving the manor behind, I leapt out of the window and started hunting.

* * *

"_We don't have any other options." Piper told Leo. "The Banshees target people who are in pain, that's why it went after Phoebe, and Cole is the source of Phoebe's pain. So if we can get him to find her and eliminate that pain, then we might be able to get Phoebe back."_

"_Do you really think he'll help us?" asked Leo doubtfully._

"_Feelings like theirs don't go away. We should know." Piper stated. She turned the pages of the Book of Shadows until she found the spell to summon Belthazor. Piper began chanting._

"_Magic forces black and white,  
__Reaching out through space and light,  
__Be he far or be he near,  
__Bring us the demon Belthazor here."_

_As soon as Piper had finished saying the spell as tunnel of wind appears in the room and Cole appeared in it._

"_You rang?" he asked cockily, then seeing Piper he frowned, "Piper, not the sister I was expecting."_

_Piper ignored this. "Phoebe's in trouble." she informed Cole, "She's been turned into a Banshee."_

"_A Banshee?" Cole considered "Well, that's different." _

"_It happened because she was hurting over you. And I think you're the key to turning her back." Piper continued tensely._

_Cole shook his head "Sorry, I don't do good anymore." he told Piper cheerily._

_Piper narrowed her eyes at Cole's flippant attitude but she wouldn't give up. "Not even for somebody you love?" she asked meaningfully._

"_Love-d. Past tense." stated Cole flatly.

* * *

_

Cole's P.O.V

They wouldn't guilt me into helping them. I was over Phoebe. I was evil; I didn't need to love; especially not a witch who had given up on me when I had given up everything for her.

* * *

"_I think we've heard enough." cut in Leo, looking at Cole coldly._

"_Feelings like that don't just die, Cole." Piper persisted._

"_Wrong. They died when Phoebe gave up on me. Now all I can do is return the favour." replied Cole._

"_You've helped us before, and we've helped you." continued Piper trying not to show her desperation._

"_Oh, is that what you were doing when you called me this morning. Helping me? Or trying to vanquish me?" spat Cole angrily.

* * *

_

Cole's P.O.V

How dare they? This morning they were trying to vanquish me and now they wanted my help. I was nothing to them. They didn't care about me. And I didn't care about them.

* * *

"_Piper, the potion." warned Leo._

_Piper ignored Leo, refusing to give up. "Phoebe loves you, Cole. And I know that you love Phoebe. All I'm asking you to do is find her and tell her." she pleaded._

"_It's over, Piper. In more ways than one." replied Cole firmly._

"_Throw the potion." instructed Leo worriedly._

_Piper stared into Cole's eyes for a moment and saw only coldness. "You're right, Cole, it is over." she agreed._

_Piper threw the potion but when it hit Cole nothing happened. No explosion; no vanquish. _

"_Surprise!" laughed Cole._

"_B-But…" stuttered Piper._

"_Did you really think that I would come here without magical protection?" sneered Cole, "Question is, do you have any protection for yourself?"_

"_Don't threaten her." warned Leo protectively._

"_I suggest you orb her out of here, Whitelighter, before there's nothing left to orb." retorted Cole._

_The sound of running interrupted them. Prue, as a large, white, fluffy dog, ran into the attic and barked at Piper and Leo._

"_Prue?" exclaimed Piper_

"_Prue?" asked Cole puzzled, then, as the house started shaking, "What's going on?"_

"_Phoebe's home." stated Piper dryly._

_There was a loud crash as all of the windows smashed and Phoebe leapt into the attic. She screamed and dove on Cole. _

_Cole changed into Belthazor before shimmering out, taking Phoebe with him._

_Belthazor shimmered into the mausoleum, still fighting with banshee-Phoebe. Belthazor snarled as he threw her across the room but she got back up and advanced on him. Banshee-Phoebe kicked Belthazor and he fell over a crypt, landing on his back. Banshee-Phoebe jumped on him and screamed, her sharp talons slashing at his body. Belthazor pushed her off and roared in response to Banshee-Phoebe's scream. He grabbed her around the neck._

"_Don't make me kill you." growled Belthazor. Banshee-Phoebe pushed him away and Belthazor exclaimed, "Damn it, Phoebe!" _

_Belthazor changed back to Cole._

"_I love you." he stated simply.

* * *

_

Cole's P.O.V

No matter how much I lied to myself, every time, the truth came out. I loved Phoebe. Since the day I had met her I always had and I knew I always would. I could turn evil, transmute my blood, do anything to change that fact, but as long as my heart still beat, I would love Phoebe.

* * *

_At Cole's words Banshee-Phoebe threw back her head and screamed at the top of her voice._

_As the scream died away the banshee changed back into Phoebe.

* * *

_

Phoebe's P.O.V

Cole's words echoed throughout my head and brought me back to myself. I could feel the immense pain of being a banshee slip away as I heard him tell me he loved me. The cause of my pain was facing me but instead of making it worse Cole was removing my pain. For one brief moment I was happy. Cole loved me. After everything, he still loved me. Despite who and what he was, he still loved me. And I knew I loved him back.

This moment wasn't going to last; I knew that. But it lasted long enough to turn me back from a banshee. It lasted long enough to know that neither of out feelings for each other had died. We still loved each other and nothing could change that.

* * *


	18. Climbing Back Up

Sorry for the hugely long wait in updating but I had exams...they're all over now so hopefully I'll be able to start upating more regularly again.

* * *

**Chapter 18: Climbing Back Up**

Phoebe's P.O.V

The moment didn't last. For one brief second I was happy as I heard Cole tell me he loved me but then all the other memories came flooding back. My mind flashed back to Cole killing the witch and my contentment disappeared; just being near Cole opened up all the wounds.

* * *

"_Stay away from me. Just stay away." demanded Phoebe tearfully._

"_Phoebe…" began Cole_

_But Phoebe shook her head, not letting Cole continue, "I don't wanna hear it, Cole."_

"_Yeah, you do." contradicted Cole, "You're not the only one hurting here. We both are. That's why we're drawn into this mess. I tried to deny it too; I tried everything to break my feelings for you, even magic. But nothing works."_

_Phoebe was silent for a moment. "It doesn't change anything." she told him quietly._

_Cole smiled sadly, "No, it doesn't. It doesn't change the fact that I killed a witch. Even if I was tricked into doing it."_

"_What do you mean?" asked Phoebe._

"_Forget it, it doesn't matter." muttered Cole._

_Phoebe frowned in annoyance, "Yeah, well, maybe it matters to me."_

"_Raynor cast a spell. He made me kill her against my will." stated Cole._

_Phoebe snorted in disbelief, "And why would he do that?"_

"_Because he wanted to turn me. And he knew the only way to do that was to destroy the one thing that was keeping me good. He knew that my killing a witch would destroy your faith in me." Cole paused and looked away, "And he was right." he whispered._

_The sceptical look on Phoebe's face disappeared as she realised Cole was telling the truth. "I don't know what to say." she admitted._

_Cole reached out to touch her face. "There's nothing to say." he told her gently, "Like you said, it doesn't change the fact that I did it, or that we'll always love each other. I guess it's a pain we both have to live with."_

_Cole stepped back and shimmered out.

* * *

_

Cole's P.O.V

I felt like I was leaving part of myself behind when I shimmered out. I loved Phoebe so much, but I had ruined any chance of happiness we had. Like I had said to Phoebe, I guess that it's just something we'll have to live with.

I was a demon again now. Working for evil, not good. As I shimmered out I tried to mentally block out my emotions. There was no place for emotions like love in a demon. I _would_ always love Phoebe but I couldn't be constantly reminded of it. I was a demon again now.

* * *

Phoebe's P.O.V

It was a mistake giving up on Cole. Now that I know why he did what he did, that it was a spell that made him kill. I should never have given up on him. He said he loves me, which means that there's still good in him. I know I can bring him back. I know it.

* * *

"_I wanna try a new potion on Cole. One that'll reverse the spell that turned him bad in the first place." announced Phoebe._

"_Phoebe…" began Piper._

_Phoebe interrupted her, "I'm not looking for your approval, Piper, just your support." she pleaded._

_Prue sighed, "Well, Phoebe, it's sort of hard to give you support when you're just setting yourself up to get hurt again."_

_"Cole is good inside, I know it. And if dark magic did this to him, then how come white magic can't save him? I can't just turn my back, I have to try." insisted Phoebe._

_Prue and Piper exchanged looks. 'We have to help her.' Piper realised._

_"What do you want us to do?"_

_Phoebe smiled slightly in relief; "I want you to use the magic to magic spell to send me down there. I reworded it to make it work." Phoebe handed Piper a piece of paper._

"_Uh, Phoebe, that's awfully dangerous." said Piper worriedly, reading over the spell, "If something goes wrong we won't be able to contact each other."_

"_I'll be safe, I'll be with Cole. And he'll bring me back, so don't worry about that." _

"_You're banking a lot on that little potion of yours, you know." interjected Prue._

"_No, I'm not." Phoebe shook her head slowly, "I'm banking on Cole."

* * *

_

Phoebe's P.O.V

Cole had tried so hard to be good that I knew he couldn't just suddenly block it out again. There was good inside of him and all I needed to do was reverse the magic that turned him to bring that goodness to the surface again. I was trusting in Cole, trusting in the fact that he was good inside. The potion was just going to help him remember that.

* * *

_A swirl of white orbs appeared, briefly lighting up the dull and gloomy cave, before reforming into Phoebe._

_Cole was sleeping on a bed of straw and was wearing a plain black robe. Phoebe crouched down beside him, "Cole, wake up." she whispered, reaching out to stroke his hair._

_Cole opened his eyes and met Phoebe's. "Phoebe?" he asked disbelievingly. Cole pulled himself to his feet, "What are you doing here?"_

_There was a slight trace of coldness in Cole's voice but Phoebe ignored it. "I came to bring you back." she told him gently._

_Cole stared silently into Phoebe's eyes for a moment before grabbing her round the neck. "You just made a huge mistake." he snarled.

* * *

_

Phoebe's P.O.V

No. I hadn't made a mistake. I _was_ going to get Cole back whether he wanted that at the moment or not. He was evil at the moment, that's why he was acting like this, but that would change when the potion worked. He would be good again. I knew it.

* * *

_Phoebe broke out of Cole's grip and kicked him, sending him flying to the ground. _

_Cole laughed slightly. "You're not an easy girl to dump." he told her._

_"Yeah, well, I didn't risk everything to come down here and not get what I came for." Phoebe replied coldly._

_Cole sat up, "Well, you can't have me. Not anymore." he stated._

_Phoebe shook her head, "I can if I reverse the spell that took you away from me."_

_"We've already had this conversation, Phoebe." sighed Cole, "Even if you could reverse it, it doesn't change the fact that I..."_

_"That you killed a witch." interrupted Phoebe, "Yeah, I know, Cole, but you didn't do it willingly and that's the difference." Cole stood up as Phoebe continued, "That's what gives you a second chance, that's what gives us a second chance."_

_Cole grabbed Phoebe round the neck again, "I already had a second chance and I blew it. Now, this is your last chance, understand? No more games. Go home. You can't save me."_

_Phoebe reached in her bag and pulled out the potion. She resolutely smashed it on his back. "You wanna bet?"_

_Cole released Phoebe and staggered back. "Pretty cool potion, huh?" she told him._

_Cole raised his eyes to look at Phoebe and for a brief moment Phoebe thought the potion hadn't worked. Cole walked up to Phoebe and kissed her passionately._

_Phoebe smiled as Cole stepped back slightly, "Let's get out of here."_

_A bitter smile spread across Cole's face, "Where?" he asked._

_"What do you mean where?" asked Phoebe puzzled, "Home. Back to my place."_

_"You really think they're just gonna let me go? They're not gonna come looking for me again?"_

_"We'll fight them off." replied Phoebe defiantly._

_" For how long? Indefinitely?" sighed Cole, "Phoebe, we tried it up there, it doesn't work for us."_

_Phoebe met Cole's eyes sadly, "So where does that leave us?" she whispered._

_"Right where we are."

* * *

_


	19. A Moment Of Need

So, it's taken a year but here's the next chapter of It Wasn't Meant To Be! I can't believe it's been a whole year. I am so sorry. But I am slowly getting round to updating all of my stories, because I don't really like having them all unfinished.

If you've stayed with the story thank you so much, and if there are any new readers I hope you like it and please leave a review!

I don't know if I've said this already but... Disclaimer: I don't own charmed and the dialogue in the flashbacks istaken from the show.

Autumn-371

* * *

**Chapter 19: A moment of need**

"_I know of your struggles, Belthazor, of your witch. I know that's why you've come to me."

* * *

_

Cole's P.O.V

It was obvious for everyone to see. My love for Phoebe did not belong in a demon so it was written all over my very being for the world to notice. Despite this I still tried; still tried to save her and her sister's because my love for her would not let me do anything else. Just like Phoebe's love for her sisters made her agree to the Source's terms. But even though I did all I could, it wasn't enough. The battle still took Prue, and all I could do was try to help Phoebe through her pain. However the fact of my demonic heritage prevented me from doing even that properly. It was another sign that things could not work out; another sign I ignored.

* * *

"_Cole!" Phoebe exclaimed, a look of relief spreading across her tear stained face. She ran over to him and embraced him as if she would never let go. "I was afraid you weren't going to make it to the funeral." she whispered._

_Cole looked apologetic, "Well, I… I can't make it… or, shouldn't anyway. The Source has got every demonic bounty hunter out there looking for me."_

_Phoebe released Cole, and folded her arms resolutely, "Yeah. So what else is new?"_

"_This is different." Cole told her gently, "Saving you makes it a different, makes me a traitor… and he not going to stop until he finds me and I don't want that happening at Prue's funeral."_

_Phoebe shook her head tearfully, "I don't understand. Isn't it harder to track a demon in a cemetery, Cole? You have to go. I need you there." she pleaded._

_Cole nodded.

* * *

_

Cole's P.O.V

I knew my fears weren't groundless, but I couldn't bring myself to cause Phoebe any more hurt. She needed me there so I would be there. However complicated that might be, I would make it that simple, just for her.

* * *

Phoebe's P.O.V

I did need him there. I needed someone I could lean on, someone who I could be with and make me see that not everything was bad in this world. Evil had taken Prue away from me and I was damned if I would let it take Cole away from me too. Prue would have wanted him there too. I know she would have. Even though they didn't always see eye to eye, we had Cole to thank for Piper's life and Prue would forgive him the world for that. I couldn't even bear to think what would have happened if Cole hadn't of saved us; if he hadn't managed to get Tempus to turn back time and if I was now burying both my sisters. Although I do know one thing; he would have been there for me, just like he was now. That I was certain of, whatever might have happened he would have been the constant. He would have been there for me whatever. Because he loved me.

* * *

'_This time I'm gonna make sure it turns out right  
I wanna be your everything and by your side  
For the rest of my life  
This love feels the way that love should be  
Look in my eyes and realise there's no disguise  
Cause I'm in love with you'

* * *

_

"_You can't save every innocent, Phoebe, or stop every demon."

* * *

_

Phoebe's P.O.V

How true his words were. There was a deeper meaning in them than either of us realised at the time; we didn't understand how his words unconsciously mimicked his plight. I couldn't save Cole and Belthazor couldn't be stopped.

* * *

"_How about you and me go someplace? You know? Drop off the face of the earth together, disappear?" Cole suggested hopefully, only half joking._

_Phoebe smiled, "Hmm. Don't tempt me."

* * *

_

Phoebe's P.O.V

Things were finally getting back to normal after Prue's death, or at least as normal as they could be. Prue was dead and nothing could ever fill that hole in my heart, but Cole was back and I was never going to let him go. It was a fool's paradise but I was happy.

* * *

_"Things have changed, Phoebe. We can't pretend we can go on like this. It's only a matter of time before The Source finds me, which means every minute you're with me, you're in danger." Cole spoke the words grudgingly, unwillingly, but he couldn't deny the truth of the matter._

_Phoebe looked up, her face etched with determination, to gaze into his eyes, "I've lost too much already Cole. I'm not losing you, too."

* * *

_

Cole's P.O.V

I knew how much she was hurting, but I didn't want to be the cause of any more hurt. I was putting her in danger and I would never forgive myself if she were put in danger simply by my presence. But she wouldn't let me go, her will was stronger than mine. Sometimes I wonder if it hadn't, maybe things could have worked out for both of us. However I know that a strong will was part of who Phoebe was, and it was the reason our love survived as long as it did. For me, it was worth it. A moment's happiness with her was worth all the suffering in the world. I can only hope it was for her too.


End file.
